Fight #4: Poirier vs Miller
At age 28 came the first time Dustin had to get dirty in the trenches to continue a fight since vs Chan Sung Jung. He had some bloody fights since, but had not been put into this position. Losses to Cub Swanson and Conor McGregor were by competitive decision, and a knockout which put his lights out, cutting his heart out of the equation entirely, dazzling the Diamond and showing him again that he had to really change something to get good enough to be a title-level competitor. McGregor was just that good, that much of a natural with his sense of timing and rhythm. If Dustin wanted to get to that level he would have to work twice as hard.
So he did. His remodeled process and toolbox had not been completely retooled by the time of the Jim Miller fight, but Poirier’s style was essentially the same as it is right now for his ‘Fight of the Night’ win over the man with every longevity record in the UFC. That represented his first real participation in a fight that could be called a war since he fought The Korean Zombie. This, time he came out on top. This underrated fight on Dustin’s resume marks, to me, the real start of Prime Dustin Poirier, as he would go on to go 10-3 and not lose a striking duel for the next seven years, including eight more brutal wars.
In it, he illustrates all the skills he has today: the ability to adjust based on in-fight problems and overcome adversity, the manipulation of rhythm in combination boxing, the ‘Hillbilly Shoulder Roll’ which flummoxes most strikers seeking a chin to snipe, and his infamous shifting combination culminating in a powerful overhand right. He had also physically filled his frame completely, could track shots well enough to never caught caught with a shot he did not see coming (until Gaethje did so, seven years later), and developed the cardio to match any single other fighter in the UFC over five rounds, unless weakened to the body (as Oliveira did, six years later).
In the second round of the fight, after a competitive first round where Dustin did slightly more damage, Jim Miller adjusts his focus. As a result he begins to kick a hole through Poirier’s calf, forcing the Cajun fighter to adjust, himself, by crowding the kicker. The implementation of constant strong forward pressure in order to give Miller less time to kick and be in range to counter whenever he does kick worked like a charm. Further, the hellish pace and devastating combinations Dustin put on Miller did incredible damage, and displayed his enormous gas tank.
Jim began round three strong though, doing enormous damage to the Diamond’s lead leg before pressure could be brought to bear. Dustin limped and had to change stances even but he persevered like a veteran, wrestled Miller to the ground and out-grappled him for the last four minutes. Not content to just lay on top, Poirier worked to land ground and pound for the rest of the third round, and escaped the submission attempts he got into as a result of his aggressiveness. Even as he waited for the decision to be read, pain could be read plain on Poirier’s face, but earning the biggest victory of his career over the veteran of all veterans would launch him to new heights, a series of six fights against former or future belt-holders.
