Dustin Poirier: UFC star hit with indefinite ban after sustaining horror injuries in loss to Islam Makhachev

UFC star Dustin Poirier faces the prospect of retirement from the sport after being hit with a lengthy ban in the aftermath of his lightweight world title loss Islam Makhachev at UFC 302.

The fan-favourite took dominant champion and pound-for-pound king Islam Makhachev to the fifth and final round, but was submitted by a D'Arce choke.

The fight was a bloodbath, with both fighters wearing crimson masks in the later rounds in what proved to be a highly competitive contest.

Poirer missed out on the chance to become undisputed champion for the third time in his career and after the defeat shared updates on the extent of injuries with his fans on X. He wrote on X: "Nose is broken bad, rib is broken and my ACL is partially torn."

Poirier followed that up with an X-ray of his busted nose, which was shattered in multiple places. He wrote across the image: "Four or five breaks from the headbutt."

Porier's trio of injuries have resulted in the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board handing him an indefinite medical suspension. Ahead of fight night, the former interim lightweight champ admitted retirement could be on the cards if he came up short in his latest bid for undisputed glory.

After the loss Porier himself has hinted that he is considering retirement and told ESPN: "After the [Justin] Gaethje fight, it was a big test for me and my personal growth.

"Practising my mindfulness and practising gratitude. Because I said it yesterday or the other day with you, without gratitude, nothing is ever enough. My cup is full, my family is good. I have my health, they have theirs.

"I'm chasing dreams and I'm living the life that I only could have imagined when I was a kid just by chasing my dreams. I came up short and it hurts bad. Because like I said, I know I'm not going to get another chance. I'm probably not going to get another chance to be undisputed world champion."