Dustin Poirier is now tied for the UFC lightweight knockout record after recording a violent finish at UFC 299.
In the co-main event at Kaseya Center in Miami, Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) met Benoit Saint Denis’ pressure with accuracy. Despite giving Poirier trouble, Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) ended up on the wrong end of a violent knockout at 2:32 of Round 2.
The fight started fast, and held that same pace until the conclusion.
After an initial exchange of hard leg kicks, Poirier countered a takedown by jumping on a guillotine choke. The attempt appeared tight initially, but Saint Denis was able to flip over and escape from the hold. The clinch fighting continued and Saint Denis found his way to Poirier’s back momentarily.
They would return to the center and striking exchanges followed. Hard punches from Poirier were offered, but Saint Denis pressed forward with hard short elbows and knees in the clinch.
The pace was incredibly fast for a fight scheduled for 25 minutes.
Poirier attempted to jump on another guillotine, but it wasn’t there. Saint Denis ended up on the back after a scramble, and nearly locked up an armbar before the horn, but Poirier signaled to the crowd that it wasn’t secured.
Round 2 started with heavy pressure from Saint Denis. Despite his corner asking him to abandon the guillotine attempts, Poirier jumped on another one. Again, the result was Saint Denis escaping, and taking his back. The fight would return to standing, though, where they traded punches in a phone booth against the cage.
After a resetting, they quickly continued trading punches, but Poirier connected with a flush left hand that rocked Saint Denis. Recognizing the damage, Poirier turned up the intensity and put the finishing touches on his opponent, ending with a violent right hook and an exclamation point follow-up punch.
POIRIER KNOCKS OUT SAINT DENIS 😱 #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/0AjktTebk7
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 10, 2024
“The Diamond” shined bright at #UFC299, as Dustin Poirier pockets another emphatic W 💎 pic.twitter.com/doFyF8GqyU
— MMA Junkie (@MMAJunkie) March 10, 2024
Poirier’s knockout finish ties Drew Dober for the most in lightweight history (9). The result places “The Diamond” back into the win column, and perhaps back in title contention. The 35-year-old former interim champion has traded wins and losses over his last four fights, but firmly remains among the elite of the division.
Up-to-the-minute UFC 299 results include:
- Dustin Poirier def. Benoit Saint-Denis via knockout (punches) – Round 2, 2:32
- Michael Page def. Kevin Holland via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Jack Della Maddalena def. Gilbert Burns via knockout (strikes) – Round 3, 3:43
- Petr Yan def. Yadong Song via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Curtis Blaydes def. Jailton Almeida via TKO (punches) – Round 2, 0:36
- Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Cerminara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
- Mateusz Gamrot def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 30-27)
- Kyler Phillips def. Pedro Munhoz via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Philipe Lins def. Ion Cutelaba via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Michel Pereira def. Michal Oleksiejczuk via submission (rear-naked choke) – Round 1, 1:01
- Robelis Despaigne def. Josh Parisian via knockout (punches) – Round 1, 0:18
- Asu Almabaev def. CJ Vergara via unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 30-27)
- Joanne Wood def. Maryna Moroz via split decision (29-28, 28-29, 29-28)
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.
