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Trademark performance in win
Poirier defeated Benoit Saint-Denis via KO (punches) at 2:32 of Round 2 at UFC 299 on Saturday in Miami.
ANALYSIS
As we have seen time and time again, count Poirier out at your own peril. Dustin did not look good for the majority of this fight. He appeared tired, labored, and didn't hold up well under the constant pressure of Saint-Denis. He would land a couple blows here and there, but his main offensive actions consisted of going for guillotine chokes. None of them worked, and he was in all sorts of trouble after giving up his back early in Round 2. As we have seen time and time against from Poirier, however, Dustin worked his way back to his feet and eventually blasted Saint-Denis with two right hands which closed the show. Poirier is now 35 years old. He's understandably not on the same level as he was in his prime, but he's also still very clearly capable of performances such as this one. Dustin has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights. This particular one was awarded Fight of the Night honors, earning Poirier a $50,000 post-fight bonus.
As we have seen time and time again, count Poirier out at your own peril. Dustin did not look good for the majority of this fight. He appeared tired, labored, and didn't hold up well under the constant pressure of Saint-Denis. He would land a couple blows here and there, but his main offensive actions consisted of going for guillotine chokes. None of them worked, and he was in all sorts of trouble after giving up his back early in Round 2. As we have seen time and time against from Poirier, however, Dustin worked his way back to his feet and eventually blasted Saint-Denis with two right hands which closed the show. Poirier is now 35 years old. He's understandably not on the same level as he was in his prime, but he's also still very clearly capable of performances such as this one. Dustin has alternated wins and losses in his past five fights. This particular one was awarded Fight of the Night honors, earning Poirier a $50,000 post-fight bonus.
Saint-Denis bout still on tap
Poirier is scheduled to compete against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299, per Nolan King of USA Today.
ANALYSIS
According to Poirier, he could not get a hold of his manager for a few days, which resulted in a miscommunication. Apparently, the Saint-Denis fight is still scheduled with a little over a month remaining until the Miami pay-per-view. Poirier will look to defend his top-five spot in the UFC's lightweight rankings and get back into championship contention.
According to Poirier, he could not get a hold of his manager for a few days, which resulted in a miscommunication. Apparently, the Saint-Denis fight is still scheduled with a little over a month remaining until the Miami pay-per-view. Poirier will look to defend his top-five spot in the UFC's lightweight rankings and get back into championship contention.
Not fighting Saint-Denis
Poirier is not fighting Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299, according to Brett Okamoto of ESPN.com.
ANALYSIS
Poirier recently posted on social media the words "fights off" to imply a bout against Saint-Denis was not happening. According to Poirier via Okamoto, there was no contractual agreement for the Saint-Denis fight at all. It seems that when UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout, they would come to terms afterward, but such has not been and seems like it will not be the case.
Poirier recently posted on social media the words "fights off" to imply a bout against Saint-Denis was not happening. According to Poirier via Okamoto, there was no contractual agreement for the Saint-Denis fight at all. It seems that when UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout, they would come to terms afterward, but such has not been and seems like it will not be the case.
Making return at UFC 299
Poirier is scheduled to face Benoit Saint-Denis in a lightweight matchup in the co-main event of UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami, UFC president Dana White announced Sunday via social media.
ANALYSIS
This will be the rare, five-round, non-title fight, as both men apparently requested this as part of negotiations. Poirier is coming off a tough loss to Justin Gaethje and has now lost two of his last three fights. He'll now be tasked with an up-and-comer in Saint-Denis, a younger fighter riding a five-fight winning streak who will have height and reach advantages. Both men are high-volume, accurate strikers, with Saint-Denis checking in with slightly better defensive marks. The one area where Saint-Denis separates himself is offensive wrestling, as he'll put his mark of 4.55 takedowns landed per 15 minutes against Poirier's 63 percent takedown defense.
This will be the rare, five-round, non-title fight, as both men apparently requested this as part of negotiations. Poirier is coming off a tough loss to Justin Gaethje and has now lost two of his last three fights. He'll now be tasked with an up-and-comer in Saint-Denis, a younger fighter riding a five-fight winning streak who will have height and reach advantages. Both men are high-volume, accurate strikers, with Saint-Denis checking in with slightly better defensive marks. The one area where Saint-Denis separates himself is offensive wrestling, as he'll put his mark of 4.55 takedowns landed per 15 minutes against Poirier's 63 percent takedown defense.
Brutally finished by Justin Gaethje
Poirier lost to Justin Gaethje via KO (head kick) at 1:00 of Round 2 at UFC 291 on Saturday in Salt Lake City.
ANALYSIS
We've seen Poirier take a ton of punishment in recent bouts, but he has always been able to fight through it. He wasn't as lucky here. It was a very even fight prior to the finish. Dustin certainly landed his fair share of power shots, but once again struggled with low kicks from Gaethje, something that was a major problem for him in the first fight between the two five-plus years ago. The end came when Poirier got crushed with a head kick he didn't see coming. He was out on the spot, with referee Herb Dean literally sliding across the mat to save him. It's a disappointing result, but it doesn't change the fact Dustin has been one of the best fighters in the world for years. He's only 4-3 in his past seven bouts, but those three losses came against a future title challenger in Gaethje and two former UFC Lightweight Champions in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Now 34 years of age, Poirier may not be in the title conversation anymore, but he remains immensely popular and will continue to receive showcase fights.
We've seen Poirier take a ton of punishment in recent bouts, but he has always been able to fight through it. He wasn't as lucky here. It was a very even fight prior to the finish. Dustin certainly landed his fair share of power shots, but once again struggled with low kicks from Gaethje, something that was a major problem for him in the first fight between the two five-plus years ago. The end came when Poirier got crushed with a head kick he didn't see coming. He was out on the spot, with referee Herb Dean literally sliding across the mat to save him. It's a disappointing result, but it doesn't change the fact Dustin has been one of the best fighters in the world for years. He's only 4-3 in his past seven bouts, but those three losses came against a future title challenger in Gaethje and two former UFC Lightweight Champions in Khabib Nurmagomedov and Charles Oliveira. Now 34 years of age, Poirier may not be in the title conversation anymore, but he remains immensely popular and will continue to receive showcase fights.