Lafayette native and MMA star Dustin Poirier will be headlining Saturday's UFC on ESPN 12 as he takes on Dan Hooker.

And as always, the fighter is trying to give back to the community. Through his non-profit charity, The Good Fight Foundation, Poirier has come up with a plan to give a hand up to a local business and help out Acadiana fight fans.

"The Diamond" will be paying the fight night food tabs for those who go to Broaddus Burger (610 E. Kaliste Saloom Road in Lafayette) to watch the UFC on ESPN 12 event.

That event, by the way, is taking place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Poirier wants to encourage the support of local businesses, so he thought footing the bill would be a good way to make that happen.

“We reached out to a few locally-owned restaurants and we wanted to give them a small bump in business,” Poirier told MMA Junkie. “So from the beginning of the fights on Saturday to the end of the fights, from 5 p.m. to close, we’re encouraging people to come in and we’re going to cover their food bill. We’re going to cover the tabs for everyone watching the fights.

“I think it’s good to have everyone come together and talk over a common ground of fighting. With everything that’s going on with this separation of people to have something to cheer for locally and bring the community together. I thought that was a good idea.”

This continues a long history of Poirier doing good work with his platform. He typically auctions off his fight-worn gear to raise money for his charity.

In the past, his charity has helped build a playground for special needs children, supplied backpacks for more than 500 school children, and even built water wells and repaired a ruined water supply at an orphanage and school in Uganda.

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