Dustin Poirier put on a “Fight of the Night” performance with his second-round knockout victory over lightweight phenom Benoit Saint Denis, a violent spectacle that delivered on this pre-fight prediction in the UFC 299 pay-per-view (PPV) co-main event last Sat. night (March 9, 2024) at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Watch the fight video highlights here.
Poirier was the betting underdog heading into their five-round affair, based on the trail of bodies Saint Denis has left in his wake. But when push came to shove, “The Diamond” proved he’s not going to be anyone’s stepping stone or easily surrender his place in the division Top 5 (see it here).
“I took this fight because he finished his last five opponents,” Poirier said after the fight. “He’s not a name everybody knows but he is on his way up and he’s dangerous. He has a ‘never say die’ attitude and I told myself that I have to take this fight. Hold your position or lose it, that’s the nature of the beast. That’s what we do. I’ve got a lot of respect for Benoit Saint Denis and his grit.”
The bout was good enough to impress longtime rival Conor McGregor.
Not surprisingly, fans in the comments section of McGregor’s tweet are calling for a fourth fight. “Notorious” has not competed since losing to Poirier by way of technical knockout after breaking his leg at UFC 264, a contest that pushed “The Diamond” to 2-1 across their three bouts — two at lightweight and one at featherweight.
Michael Chandler might have something to say about that.
“Iron” was given “assurances” that he would be next in line for the Irish “red panty night” after coaching against McGregor on The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 31. Unfortunately, there’s been little progress over the last two years and “Notorious” does not have a date or location for his Octagon return — which may never happen.
For more results and highlights from UFC 299 click here.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
