Dustin Poirier comes to the aid of his Louisiana hometown

With the NBA, NHL, NASCAR and other major sports leagues and sporting events suspended or canceled, professional athletes are using their platforms to facilitate financial support for arena workers and those affected by COVID-19 across the nation. Each day, we will feature a philanthropic effort taking place in the sports world.

Dustin Poirier is a diamond of a guy – and he keeps proving it.

The Diamond once again shows his heart is gold ? pic.twitter.com/Rla7cGaVpM

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) April 12, 2020

On Sunday, former UFC interim lightweight champion Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier and his nonprofit organization, The Good Fight Foundation, made Easter a special holiday for hospital staffers in Lafayette, Louisiana by donating 1,000 meals to those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 battle.

The giving won’t stop after Sunday either. Poirier and his foundation, alongside Deano’s Pizza, will continue to donate meals to hospital workers throughout the week.

Fight The Good Fight!! ? https://t.co/w9RtPFICbW

— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) April 11, 2020

Efforts got underway on Sunday, with Poirier leading the charge, thanking healthcare workers for their courage – and that’s a big compliment coming from one of the most-seasoned veterans in the UFC.

Hope everyone is having a Happy & Safe Easter Sunday!
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Thank you to everyone who played a role in making today possible!
Big thanks to our #healthcareheroes for working so hard during this difficult time ?????? #fightthegoodfight pic.twitter.com/vZSBLOjkNf

— The Good Fight Foundation (@TheGoodFightFDN) April 13, 2020

Poirier is a native of Lafayette, Louisiana and has fought professionally since 2009. He made his UFC debut on Jan. 1, 2011, and has 23 UFC appearances, mainly in the featherweight and lightweight divisions.

In his UFC career, he owns wins over Max Holloway, Anthony Pettis, Eddie Alvarez and Justin Gaethje, among others. He last fought on Sept. 7 for the UFC Lightweight Championship against Khabib Nurmagomedov, but lost by submission in the third round.

The Good Fight Foundation was born out of Poirier’s love for fighting, as well as his love for his hometown:

The Good Fight, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, was started by UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier and his wife Jolie. While packing up in preparation for a move, the Poirier family realized they had a lot of fight memorabilia from Dustin’s storied UFC career. Rather than box it up for storage, as most would do, they saw an opportunity for good. Together they began auctioning off these items to raise money for causes around their hometown in Louisiana. – TheGoodFightGroup.com

Poirier has since auctioned off items from Nurmagomedov, Holloway, Alvarez and others.