Dustin Poirier Ethnicity: Explaining UFC Star’s French Connection

Dustin Poirier is all set to land against Islam Makhachev and try to claim the UFC lightweight championship belt at UFC 302. The ‘Diamond’ won his last bout with an impressive knockout in the second round, and is expecting to get a winning streak back on his resume. With 30 victories and just 8 losses to his name, Poirier is indeed a mixed martial artist holding the skills to be reckoned with.

But this time, Poirier has claimed that it will probably be his last chance to try and win the lightweight championship belt. He would surely do everything that he could to win. However, the Dagestani fighter is not someone he can take lightly. Makhachev has the backing of Khabib Nurmagomedov, the former LW champ who once defeated Poirier. Many have assumed that it’s the Dagestani lineage that ensured Nurmagomedov’s win. But have you ever thought if Poirier’s lineage was what made him such a strong opponent? Let’s take a look at the mixed martial artist’s ethnicity.

Is Dustin Poirier Hispanic, or French?

Poirier, although born an American, in Louisiana, is often thought about as a Frenchman. He often shines the limelight on his hometown, Lafayette, Louisiana, the town that is infamous for its inhabitants, who often have a history in France. His father, Darrell Poirier was an American, but his mother, Jere Folley Chaisson, had roots embedded deep in the French soil. The mixed martial artist, as per many reports, is of an Acadian-French descent.  

Poirier’s ethnicity came into question recently when Conor McGregor sent out a tweet right after the events of UFC 299, where Poirier displayed great finesse as he knocked out Benoit Saint-Denis in the second round of their fight with some heavy punches. Following the fight, the ‘Mystic Mac’ took to X and tweeted, “Great fight out of them French boys tonight!”  

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: Dustin Poirier addresses the media after the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Without a doubt, in the post-fight press conference, Poirier revealed the French connections that the Cajuns had a wide ancestry that included people from French, Irish, Spanish, German, Italian, African, Irish, and Native American communities. But it was his mother’s lineage and father’s fluency in French that added up to his French ancestry. But the former interim lightweight champion also revealed some facts about his Cajun heritage. 

Dustin Poirier’s Cajun heritage

The ‘Diamond’ is indeed a proud Cajun. In the UFC 299 post-fight press conference, the mixed martial artist revealed that the Cajuns were an ethnic group who settled in Canada, but later in the 18th and 19th centuries, relocated to Louisiana. “There’s a lot of French in Acadiana where I live in Lafayette. My dad speaks fluent French, you know. A lot of the Cajuns in Acadiana came from French Canada, you know we got kicked out and relocated to Louisiana,” Poirier said, addressing his French connection.

Nevertheless, the fighter has lived the majority of his life in the United States and identifies himself as a proud American. But one thing is certain, when faced with opponents, he has used his ancestral fighting spirit to overcome the troubles and rise victorious. Needless to say, fighting does run in his family. But this time, with Makhachev against him, the result is something that only time can tell.

Who do you think would win at UFC 302? Will Islam Makhachev remain the UFC LW champion? Or will Poirier be able to snatch away the belt? Let us know in the comments down below.