Why this UFC fighter is reconnecting with his 8th-grade teacher

Kristin Askelson | The Daily Advertiser

Dustin Poirier has come a long way since middle school.

The 29-year-old mixed martial artist is currently the No. 4-ranked lightweight in the UFC, a ranking he hopes to improve with a win Saturday in his rematch against the No. 3 lightweight Eddie Alvarez.

But Poirier never forgets where he came from or how lucky he is.

As it was for many of us, middle school was particularly hard for Poirier, who is a Lafayette native.

"Around that time, I was getting in a lot of trouble, getting in a lot of fights," he said.

He and his wife, Jolie, were both students at Acadian Middle School, when, in the eighth grade, a teacher saw Poirier's potential and intervened.

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"It was a tough time," he said, "and she helped me a lot and was just an awesome person in my life," Poirier said.

That's why he's planning to adopt her classroom, which he saw in The Daily Advertiser's adopt-a-teacher program. He'll provide computers for Deanna Thibodeaux and her students, and send her all the supplies she needs for the year.

"Tears just rolled down my face when he called me," Thibodeaux said. "I literally cried. I could not believe it.

"He just asked, 'What would you like for your classroom? What do you need to make your classroom better?'"

Thibodeaux has been teaching for about 35 years and she's been at Acadian Middle since 1996. Dustin made an impression on her, as well.

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"I would never say he was bad, but he was a rascal," she said. But after he would do "his rascal things, he would always think about it and come back and apologize. His actions told me he was a loving child, and that's what made me love him even more."

She could tell Poirier wanted to change. "He was another kid who was missing out on something, and he decided to do something to change his life around," Thibodeaux said. "I understood him."

Poirier is no stranger to giving back to the community that raised him. In April, he and Jolie started a nonprofit, The Good Fight Foundation. He has auctioned the bloody clothing from his past few fights and donated the proceeds to local causes, including Second Harvest Food Bank, Acadiana Outreach Center and the widow of slain Lafayette Police Officer Michael Middlebrook.

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Through the foundation and auctioning his gear from Saturday's fight, Poirier hopes to raise enough money to outfit Thibodeaux's classroom and give Acadian Middle's 500 students each a backpack filled will school supplies for the year.

"He just has no idea how many lives he will touch with this," Thibodeaux said. "Not just me and my students. Every student in the school. All of their parents. Every teacher in the school won't have to worry about whether their students will come to school with all the supplies they need."

Saturday's fight is a rematch with Alvarez after their last fight ended in a controversial no-contest caused by trio of illegal knees from Alvarez. The winner of the rematch could get a lightweight title shot.

RELATED: Poirier-Alvarez brawl ends in controversial no-contest

If Poirier can help out his old school in the process, all the better.

“I’m putting all the proceeds toward filling those 500 backpacks,” he said.

Earlier this month, Poirier was also named an American Cancer Society 2018 Spirit of Hope Honoree. He'lll be recognized Aug. 25 at the American Cancer Society Black & White Gala in Lafayette.

Others are taking note of Poirier's acts of kindness, too, Thibodeaux said.

"It's just amazing," she said. "I don't think he realizes just how many lives he is changing."

Want to watch?

Poirier vs. Alvarez 2 takes place Saturday night in Calgary, Alberta. The main card begins at 8 p.m. on FOX.