---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was a born fighter before I got…"
description: "\"I was a born fighter before I got technical, and that's still in me.\" — Dustin Poirier"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png"
---

#  I was a born fighter before I got technical, and that's…

![“I was a born fighter before I got technical, and that's still in me.” quote by Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png)

> “I was a born fighter before I got technical, and that's still in me.”

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He identifies as a natural fighter, with technical skill added later.

**In simple terms:** Born fighter, later technical.

Key Takeaway

Embrace innate strengths while learning new skills.

Themes

sports identity growth resilience

Mood

motivational reflective

Type

sports personal development

When to use this quote

- training programs
- career transitions
- personal development

Key Concepts

self‑belief skill development mental toughness

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance natural ability with learned technique?
- What role does humility play in skill acquisition?

A Different Perspective

Relying solely on innate talent may limit growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Born](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/) [Born Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born-fighter-288369/) [Fighter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter/) [Fighter Got](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighter-got-358498/) [Got Technical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/got-technical-1731272/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Still](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/still/) [Technical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technical/) [Wrestling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrestling/)

## Related quotes

> [I wasn't born to be a fighter. The causes I have fought for have invariably been causes that should have been gained by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-caroline-anderson/i-wasn-t-born-to-be-a-fighter-the-causes-i-have-fought-for-have/)

[Margaret Caroline Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-caroline-anderson/)

> [Koscheck has evolved and he's a great fighter and now he's got hands, so he's more dangerous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-johnson/koscheck-has-evolved-and-he-s-a-great-fighter-and-now-he-s-got-hands/)

[Anthony Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-johnson/)

> [I got into the UFC after six months of training. I started doing jiu-jitsu, had my first fight, tried out for 'The Ultimate Fighter,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-got-into-the-ufc-after-six-months-of-training-i-started-doing-jiu/)

[Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/)

> [ I just think that Kimbo \[Slice\] in the future could be a great fighter. He's got the look and obviously he's got the marketability… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-shamrock/i-just-think-that-kimbo-slice-in-the-future-could-be-a-great-fighter/)

[Ken Shamrock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-shamrock/)

> [As a fighter you got to be 100 percent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira/as-a-fighter-you-got-to-be-100-percent/)

[Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-rodrigo-nogueira/)

> [I've seen a lot of tapes of Markham. He is an attacking fighter, he's got power in both hands and strikes powerfully. He's good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-hardy/i-ve-seen-a-lot-of-tapes-of-markham-he-is-an-attacking-fighter-he-s/)

[Dan Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-hardy/)

> [For me, Sakuraba was my favorite fighter when I first got into the sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urijah-faber/for-me-sakuraba-was-my-favorite-fighter-when-i-first-got-into-the/)

[Urijah Faber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urijah-faber/)

> [That's what makes a fighter. I got dropped and I got back up, and I found a way to get the win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-ward/that-s-what-makes-a-fighter-i-got-dropped-and-i-got-back-up-and-i/)

[Andre Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-ward/)

> [When you want to be a fighter, you have to give it everything you got. MMA just became who I am because of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-namajunas/when-you-want-to-be-a-fighter-you-have-to-give-it-everything-you-got/)

[Rose Namajunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-namajunas/)

> [“You are here because some sliver of existence within you says that you are a born fighter. That you will put your life before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-west/you-are-here-because-some-sliver-of-existence-within-you-says-that/)

[Melissa West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-west/)

> [I'm a natural born fighter, so this is what I do, and it's normal. It's natural. It's what I've always done as a martial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-silva/i-m-a-natural-born-fighter-so-this-is-what-i-do-and-it-s-normal-it-s/)

[Anderson Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-silva/)

> [I'm a born fighter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-barnett/i-m-a-born-fighter/)

[Josh Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-barnett/)

> [I wasn't born to be a fighter. My hands are too small, and look at these short arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-lamotta/i-wasn-t-born-to-be-a-fighter-my-hands-are-too-small-and-look-at/)

[Jake LaMotta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-lamotta/)

> [“I fought in many guises, Many names, but always me. And I see not in my blindness What the objects were I wrought, But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-s-patton-jr/i-fought-in-many-guises-many-names-but-always-me-and-i-see-not-in-my/)

[George S. Patton Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-s-patton-jr/)

> [Congratulations to our dearest child. You are a graduate now. As for your future is concerned, aim for the stars because for a born…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/congratulations-to-our-dearest-child-you-are-a-graduate-now-as-for/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Dustin Poirier

> [Grit, determination, the right amount of crazy, self belief - everything it takes to be a champion. I have that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/grit-determination-the-right-amount-of-crazy-self-belief-everything/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I want to fight the fights that fans want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-want-to-fight-the-fights-that-fans-want-to-see/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [Win or lose or draw, you always go back and critique your performance and say you could have done things better. Even if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/win-or-lose-or-draw-you-always-go-back-and-critique-your-performance/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I probably should have been fighting at 155 for a long time, but I was so close to the top at 145.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-probably-should-have-been-fighting-at-155-for-a-long-time-but-i-was/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I knew I had the ability to become a world champion, I knew I did. I knew I just needed the opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-knew-i-had-the-ability-to-become-a-world-champion-i-knew-i-did-i/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [It's not hard to look great against a guy who isn't moving a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/it-s-not-hard-to-look-great-against-a-guy-who-isn-t-moving-a-lot/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [The side of town, the side of Louisiana that I grew up on, there's a lot of poverty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/the-side-of-town-the-side-of-louisiana-that-i-grew-up-on-there-s-a/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I've put it all on the line every time, win, lose, or draw, and that's what I want to be left behind in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-ve-put-it-all-on-the-line-every-time-win-lose-or-draw-and-that-s/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I don't want to have an asterisk next to my accomplishments for the rest of my life. I don't want everybody to say, 'interim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-don-t-want-to-have-an-asterisk-next-to-my-accomplishments-for-the/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [You have to be tough. All these guys are tough. But at some point, you have to outsmart and outhink and outplan these top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/you-have-to-be-tough-all-these-guys-are-tough-but-at-some-point-you/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [The way I feel, I'm the best in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/the-way-i-feel-i-m-the-best-in-the-world/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [You can go out and get anything you want if you work hard enough for it and believe in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/you-can-go-out-and-get-anything-you-want-if-you-work-hard-enough-for/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I just want fights like that. Fights that get me excited. Fights that are going to be exciting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-just-want-fights-like-that-fights-that-get-me-excited-fights-that/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I'm not really chasing rematches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-m-not-really-chasing-rematches/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

> [I want a rematch with Cub Swanson, I think I deserve to be 100 percent and fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-want-a-rematch-with-cub-swanson-i-think-i-deserve-to-be-100-percent/)

[Dustin Poirier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

[Explore all 107 Dustin Poirier quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/)

## More Born quotes

> [My mother says I didn't open my eyes for eight days after I was born, but when I did, the first thing I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-taylor/my-mother-says-i-didn-t-open-my-eyes-for-eight-days-after-i-was-born/)

[Elizabeth Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-taylor/)

> [I always thought if I was born 2000 years earlier, I would be a monk, probably carving a monastery or some giant pantheon buildings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenova-chen/i-always-thought-if-i-was-born-2000-years-earlier-i-would-be-a-monk/)

[Jenova Chen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenova-chen/)

> [The real world out there isn't nearly as nice as some people prefer it to be, so don't swallow everything your high-born teachers tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-real-world-out-there-isn-t-nearly-as-nice-as-some-people-prefer/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anybody looking for a quiet life has picked the wrong century to born in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/anybody-looking-for-a-quiet-life-has-picked-the-wrong-century-to-born/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I was born and raised in Orlando, where the economy and culture has been powerfully shaped by tourism, and so I've long been interested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-van-den-berg/i-was-born-and-raised-in-orlando-where-the-economy-and-culture-has/)

[Laura van den Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-van-den-berg/)

> [I know that in the rap game you've got a lot of people, that come from poverty, was born in poverty and if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-connor/i-know-that-in-the-rap-game-you-ve-got-a-lot-of-people-that-come-from/)

[Jon Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-connor/)

> [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/)

[Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [I'm not against gay people. I have a relative who is also gay. We can't help it if they were born that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-pacquiao/i-m-not-against-gay-people-i-have-a-relative-who-is-also-gay-we-can-t/)

[Manny Pacquiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-pacquiao/)

> [“Every child is born as angel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/every-child-is-born-as-angel/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [For the glory born of Goodness Never dies, And its flag is not half-masted In the skies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-harte/for-the-glory-born-of-goodness-never-dies-and-its-flag-is-not-half/)

[Bret Harte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-harte/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

> [If you can believe it, Hollywood wanted to change my birthdate. I was born after Valentine's Day, so they wanted to change it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-romero/if-you-can-believe-it-hollywood-wanted-to-change-my-birthdate-i-was/)

[Cesar Romero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-romero/)

[Browse all 11,606 Born quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/born/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I was a born fighter before I got technical, and that's still in me.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dustin Poirier"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-technical-and-that-s-still-in-me/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Born"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-technical-and-that-s-still-in-me/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6e4/dustin-poirier-4700_born_i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-techni_955398.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I was a born fighter before I got technical, and that's still in me.” — Dustin Poirier",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Dustin Poirier",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-poirier/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I was a born fighter before...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-technical-and-that-s-still-in-me/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-poirier/i-was-a-born-fighter-before-i-got-technical-and-that-s-still-in-me/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
