The first time I saw Dustin Poirier in person, it was in 2021, at a press conference before his trilogy fight vs. Conor McGregor.

Conor was doing everything he could to get inside Poirier's head. He talked shit about his career, his wife. He said Dustin would be leaving in a body bag. It seemed like it was working, too.

But when the bell rang on fight night, Poirier wasn't focused on any of that — instead, he locked in on the task at hand.

Last week, Poirier officially retired from the UFC. He's been lauded as a warrior and a grinder. Both true and deserved. But perhaps the biggest accomplishment of his career wasn't his evolution in the Octagon, but the evolution inside his own head.

It took a few bloody lessons, but Poirier eventually became a master of the mental game. He recognized what he could — and couldn't — control and learned to focus ruthlessly on the former. Which is to say: he became mentally tough.

He also developed into a pretty damn good trash-talker himself, especially outside the Octagon, where he's become a go-to Roast Battle judge.

To celebrate Poirier's career, I asked Brian Moses — the founder of Roast Battle — what made Poirier so formidable on stage, and he shared the attached quote, which I think speaks to something essential for any performer. For all of us, really.

You've got to be fearless, yes. You've got to be willing to fail, sure. But even more than that: Never underestimate the value of being unexpected, of being unpredictable. Because that's when your punches really land.