The diamond of Lafayette, Louisiana continued to shine bright on Saturday evening in the main event of UFC 299 with Dustin Poirier earning a hard-fought victory over Benoit Saint Denis.
The first round of the contest was a real test for Poirier’s stamina with Saint Denis firing off with several heavy punches to close the gap between the two. Dustin was able to fight back with some big strikes of his own, but wasn’t able to lock in his signature guillotine chokes. Benoit started to take control late in the round and keep things on the ground.
The second round Poirier landed an impressive uppercut that stunned Saint Denis but Poirier continued to go to the well with the guillotines but was unable to secure it. After the two fighters got off the ground, Poirier fired off a picture-perfect right to lay out the upstart lightweight and putting an end to his five-fight win streak.
“I was getting beat up a little bit … I got him at the end,” Poirier said about the fight. “He was pretty strong. I took this fight because he finished his last five opponents. He’s dangerous. Every win in his professional career, he’s finished. I said I’ve got to take this fight because I honor this game that we do. I’m just a man and I’ve got a lot of respect for Benoit Saint Denis.”
After his loss last year to Justin Gaethje, many thought that Poirier had lost a step. This was another feather in the cap for one of the more beloved fighters in the UFC and likely keeps in the conversation for another lightweight championship before his fight contract wraps up.