UFC CEO Dana White offered heaps of praise for Dustin Poirier after the longtime lightweight contender thwarted Benoit Saint Denis' attempt to crack the top five.
Poirier knocked out the French up-and-comer in the second round of the UFC 299 co-main event Saturday night in Miami after being outstruck and outgrappled in the first seven minutes of the fight. Poirier came in as the underdog despite being ranked No. 3 in the division and Saint Denis No. 12.
"Everybody was like, 'Ooh, this is a bad fight for Poirier, blah blah blah.' ... This is the shit that makes you a f-----g legend," White said at the postfight press conference. "These are legendary fights - when you go in, and you face a guy who is a savage and (it) looks like you can't win this fight or people think you can't win this fight, and then you go in and do it in spectacular fashion the way that he did tonight."
Poirier, 35, got back on track after suffering a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje last July and proved he's still one of the best lightweights in the UFC. "The Diamond" has been one of the most popular fighters in the division for years, largely thanks to a pair of wins over Conor McGregor in 2021, and there's no doubt he's in line for another big fight next.
"His stock, again, goes through the roof," White said of Poirier. "At his age, all the things he's accomplished, all the things he's done, look at what he did tonight. ... If you stood up during that fight and saw the arena, it was insane. ... People were going nuts. Poirier went to a whole other level tonight with this fight."
