Eddie Alvarez Lifts up Dustin Poirier, ‘World Champion’ Regardless of UFC 302 Loss

Alvarez says Poirier's legacy in the sport is "enough" even without a gold belt to top it all off.

Jul 28, 2018; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) defeats Eddie Alvarez (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Eddie Alvarez doesn't look at Dustin Poirier any differently, knowing "The Diamond" will probably go his entire career without touching undisputed UFC gold.

Poirier made his final stand in the main event of UFC 302, attempting to finally snag the lightweight title with his third occasion coming against stylistic nightmare Islam Makhachev. The former interim champion had already gone through title attempts against Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira and Poirier's story didn't change for the better on Saturday, as he tapped out to Makhachev in the final stretch of their five-round fight.

UFC 302 Aftermath: Dustin Poirier Piques Ex-Champ’s Interest: ‘That’s a Fun Fight'

Eddie Alvarez Heaps Praise on Dustin Poirier Following UFC 302

It's a hard pill to swallow for Poirier, being 0-3 in title fights with the words 'world champion' yet to be crossed off his bucket list. Former lightweight champ Eddie Alvarez says while a gold strap might not be the case for his former foe, Poirier should still be able to be content with the body of work he's accumulated in a UFC tenure that's seen him piece up the likes of Conor McGregor, Max Holloway and a murderer's row in the lightweight division.

"I think a lot of the audience just wanted to see Dustin kind of finish this [story]. You know what? It really doesn't f****** matter," Alvarez said of Poirier on 'The MMA Hour'. "The belts are for [show] and Dustin knows this, the belts are, they're material and they're for the casual audience. What he's done and what he's created and the people he's beat, myself included, that stuff - that's got to be enough."

Jul 28, 2018; Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Dustin Poirier (blue gloves) defeats Eddie Alvarez (red gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Scotiabank Saddledome. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports / Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

"I would love to talk to him because I feel like there's a part of him that is never going to be satisfied and I felt that way," Alvarez added. "It took me, I mean, I'm 40 years old now. It took me a long time to be kind to myself and tell myself, hey, man, you're good. Be a friend to yourself and let you know that you're okay, because it's a tough way to live never being satisfied. It's difficult."

A former champion in Bellator MMA before, it took Alvarez until he was 32 as he captured the UFC Lightweight title from Rafael Dos Anjos in 2016. Alvarez's title reign in arguably the UFC's busiest division was short-lived, but not forgotten, losing the championship to Conor McGregor in a historic moment at UFC 205 later that year.

Let the record show Alvarez still made it up the mountain and Poirier, too, has made the same costly journey to a title fight three separate times, coming up short to the Nurmagomedov's, Oliveira's and now Makhachev's of the world.

Having his own studio dressed in head to toe in championship gold, "The Underground King" Alvarez tells Poirier there's much more to being a champion than having a belt wrapped around your waist.

"Be kind to yourself and know that you're a world champion regardless of what you got on the shelf."

- Eddie Alvarez on Dustin Poirier

Eddie Alvarez is now 40 years old, where he stands as one of the biggest free agents in the MMA market after competing in ONE Championship and BKFC following his UFC run that came to an end against Dustin Poirier in 2018.

As for Dustin Poirier, the lightweight veteran isn't sure if he'll fighting past UFC 302, where he said "I'm not 100% if this is my last fight" in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.

MMA’s Hottest Free Agents in 2024: Gable Steveson Departs List Full of Ex-UFC Stars

Stick with MMA Knockout for daily coverage of the UFC, MMA, WWE, and AEW.