MIAMI, FLORIDA – MARCH 09: (L-R) Dustin Poirier punches Benoit St. Denis of France ,
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Don’t bury the diamond just yet.
On Saturday night, in the co-main event of UFC 299, Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier scored a dominant second-round KO victory over Benoit St-Denis.
According to oddsmakers, the 35-year-old former interim UFC lightweight champion came into the fight with Saint-Denis as an underdog.
After an up-and-down first round, Poirier’s superior boxing proved too much for the upstart and favorite Saint-Denis. Poirier stunned Saint-Denis with a vicious left uppercut that momentarily knocked Saint-Denis down.
Moments later, Poirier ended the show with a picture-perfect right hand. A straight right hand landed for the defeated St. Denis before the referee could end the fight, but Poirier emerged victorious.
Saint-Denis had won his five previous battles intermittently. The 12th-ranked Frenchman increased the pace and it appeared Poirier was in some tough situations, but he couldn’t turn the corner.
Poirier was in third place and after such a good performance he will undoubtedly retain his position. Poirier was coming off a devastating KO loss to Justin Gaethje in his last fight, but this win righted the ship somewhat.
It remains to be seen whether Poirier gets another title shot in his next fight, but he has almost certainly earned the bonus for his KO performance and remains one of the elite fighters at 155-pounds in the UFC. Are.
Saint-Denis is only 28 years old. He has excellent wrestling and possesses a pace that very few will be able to keep up with. If he can bounce back from his loss to Poirier, he could still become a major player in the division.
However, he did not shine like a diamond on Saturday night.
