Dustin Poirier found a buyer for his UFC 302 fight kit, and it was none other than the man he once fought for the lightweight title, Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Poirier wore new custom floral shorts in his UFC 302 bout against Islam Makhachev in his latest shot at the divisional title. Although Poirier lost by submission in Round 5, he sought to make a positive out of the moment by listing the shorts, along with his shirt, gloves, and hand wraps for auction for The Good Fight Foundation, a charity organized by the Louisiana native.
Unfortunately, the winning eBay bidder failed to pay for the fight kit after the auction was completed. That’s when Nurmagomedov stepped up.
During a recent interview on The MMA Hour, Poirier revealed that his former foe was interested in purchasing the shorts. According to Poirier, Nurmagomedov made good on the deal a few days later.
“He purchased it,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “… $30,000.”
Poirier said Nurmagomedov’s manager, Ali Abdelaziz, contacted him to complete the purchase of the fight kit, which will provide funds for the charity’s programs.
“He came through, we shipped it off, backpacks are getting filled,” Poirier said.
Poirier admitted he initially hesitated to sell the fight kit, because his fighting future is uncertain. The 35-year-old fighter contemplated retiring, and thought about holding on to what could be his final UFC fight kit. Ultimately, “The Diamond” decided to sell it to raise money to benefit his community.
For the past five years, Poirier’s charity has given away backpacks filled with school supplies to children in the Lafayette Parish school system who need assistance. This year’s “Back to School” event takes place Aug. 3 in Lafayette, La., where the charity will provide up to three backpacks per vehicle.
“We’ve got about 1,500, maybe a little bit less, maybe a little bit more, backpacks filled with school supplies for the year,” Poirier said.
