Dustin Poirier fighting the good fight at UFC on ESPN 12

There is a logjam of superstar contenders at the top of the UFC’s lightweight division.

Dustin Poirier has fought them all.

He was knocked out by Conor McGregor in 2014, then split a pair of fights against interim champ Justin Gaethje and champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, who will meet to unify the belt later this year.

Poirier knocked out Gaethje in 2018 and was submitted by Nurmagomedov in September, the last time Poirier stepped in the cage.

He will return against rising star Dan Hooker in the main event of UFC on ESPN 12 at the UFC Apex on Saturday.

While the matchup may not carry as much weight on the marquee, Poirier is excited to get back in action against someone who is as willing to engage in a brawl as him.

“These are the kinds of fights I want to be a part of,” Poirier said. “I want to be involved in fights fans are excited about and are on their feet cheering. These are the kinds of guys I want to fight, guys that will bring action-packed fights.”

Any fans rising to their feet will have to do so from home or their favorite bar. This is the last in a run of five straight Saturday night cards in Las Vegas with no spectators in attendance.

Poirier typically feeds off that energy, though he’s intrigued by the unique scenario.

“I like the idea of it,” he said. “It will be quiet, so I’ll be able to hear my team. The focus will be different. It’s just a new wrinkle I’ve never experienced, so we’ll find out on Saturday.”

Poirier learned Friday he had been awarded the UFC’s inaugural Forrest Griffin Community Award for his volunteer and charity work.

Poirier founded the Good Fight Foundation with his wife Jolie in his hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, in 2018.

He auctions the fight kit from each of his bouts to raise money for the charity and has donated more than 1,000 meals to medical workers during the pandemic.

Poirier said he will pay for all food ordered at a local Louisiana bar showing his fight on Saturday night between 5 p.m. and closing time.

“We just want to give them a free meal and let them come together and finally have something good to talk about, a fighter from the area,” Poirier said. “It’s just good to bring people together and boost the business. We’re putting together a back-to-school drive, too. It’s great to be in a position to be able to give back. I’m appreciative we have the resources and the people in place to make that happen.”

UFC President Dana White said he’s proud of all the work Poirier and his wife have done in their community, including donations for families of law enforcement officers and building a special-needs playground for terminally-ill seven-year-old Aaron Hill to play with his friends.

“Dustin is a great athlete, but more importantly he’s a great human being,” White said. “He is a kid who works hard and is passionate about giving back to not only his community, but to those who are less fortunate.”

Poirier’s community service will continue to be a big part of his career. But his fighting acumen is what will once again be put to the test on Saturday.

The 31-year-old had his five-fight winning streak snapped in the loss to Nurmagomedov and hopes to get back on track against Hooker, a 30-year-old New Zealander from the same gym that has produced UFC champions Israel Adesanya and Alex Volkanovski.

Poirier knows a loss would drop him out of the conversation in the stacked division. A win doesn’t guarantee anything, but at least keeps him in the mix.

“I just need to perform and win,” he said. “Winning solves everything in this sport. I need to get my hand raised and then we can reassess the division and where everything is at and what can possibly be next. But right now, I’m just focused on performing on Saturday.”

The bout will headline a 5 p.m. main card that also includes a welterweight bout between Mike Perry and Mickey Gall. Preliminary card action will begin at 3 with all fights airing on ESPN and streaming on ESPN-Plus.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.