Petr Yan knows what it means to survive the fire and still keep chasing UFC gold. The Russian understood the weight of that moment when Dustin Poirier retired following UFC 318 after a brutal war with Max Holloway.Poirier's exit capped off a legendary career with three title fights for undisputed UFC gold, an interim title win, and moments that made him a fan favorite. Yan, preparing for his return at UFC Abu Dhabi, didn’t hold back in praising the veteran.The former UFC bantamweight king acknowledged Poirier’s wars and the respect he earned with his fighting style. Speaking in an interview with MMA Fighting, he said:“I think it was a great and exciting fight. And speaking about Dustin, I think he had a great, amazing career. He had a lot of big fights, a lot of exciting fights. He’s been in a lot of wars, and of course, he wanted probably to go out on a win. But it’s just a sport, you know? His opponent, Max Holloway, is also an amazing athlete also deserves to win.”Check out Petr Yan's comments below:Yan meets Marcus McGhee in UFC Abu Dhabi on July 26. McGhee, ranked No. 12, is rising fast with four straight UFC wins. For Yan, this is a chance to punch his ticket back to title contention. He's coming off a unanimous decision win against Deiveson Figueiredo in November 2024.When Dustin Poirier called Petr Yan the best boxer in the UFCWhen Dustin Poirier was preparing for his title shot against Charles Oliveira in 2021, he made a bold call about the debate regarding the best boxer in the organization.He named Petr Yan as the best boxer in the UFC, while Max Holloway had boldly claimed that title. Poirier pointed to Yan’s movement, precision, and economy of motion. Speaking in a past episode of The MMA Hour, Poirier said:“I think Petr Yan. Just the way he moves. He doesn’t waste a lot of movements. His positioning is always crisp. He’s never out of position. He doesn’t load up while he’s throwing clean power shots. Good accuracy works the body well, goes up, goes down. It’s just a lot of things that he does really, really well.”Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below (26:00)