Poirier sleeps Saint Denis with brutal right hand in wild fight

Dustin Poirier reminded the world that he's still a top lightweight Saturday night.

In a fight that many believed would be a changing of the guard, Poirier knocked out up-and-comer Benoit Saint Denis at the 2:32 mark of the second round in the UFC 299 co-main event at Kaseya Center in Miami.

The former interim lightweight champion rocked Saint Denis with a left and then, moments later, put him to sleep with a picture-perfect right hook. Poirier, one of the best fighters in 155-pound history, is back in the win column after suffering a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in a BMF title fight last July.

"I got a lot of respect for Benoit Saint Denis," Poirier said in his postfight interview. "His mindset, his grit. He's a tough guy, and if he chooses to, he'll be back - no doubt about it."

Poirier overcame a rough first seven minutes to hand Saint Denis his first UFC loss at lightweight.

Saint Denis gave Poirier everything he could handle in a chaotic Round 1. The Frenchman set an incredibly high pace, put the pressure on Poirier, and landed hard punches in the clinch. Poirier fired back with some punches of his own, but Saint Denis clearly took the first round.

Saint Denis put Poirier in a world of trouble early in Round 2, capitalizing on Poirier's failed guillotine attempt to get on top of "The Diamond." Saint Denis advanced to full mount, flattened Poirier out, and then took his back and tried to sink in a rear-naked choke.

But Poirier managed to escape the position and then took Saint Denis out with an ice-cold right hand. Poirier is now tied with Drew Dober for the most knockout wins in UFC lightweight history (nine).

Poirier has now alternated wins and losses in his last four Octagon appearances. The 35-year-old is ranked No. 3 in the lightweight division. However, he was the betting underdog against Saint Denis, who came in as a red-hot prospect and ranked No. 12.

Saint Denis' five-fight winning streak was snapped. The 28-year-old won all five of those bouts inside the distance and earned the big fight against Poirier by knocking out Matt Frevola in brutal fashion last November at UFC 295. This was Saint Denis' first loss since his UFC debut, which occurred in October 2021 at welterweight. It was his first-ever knockout loss and just the second defeat of his pro MMA career.