UFC 299 results: Dustin Poirier violently KOs Benoit Saint Denis in Round 2, ties lightweight record

Dustin Poirier placed his name back in title contention and in the history books with a violent KO of Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] is now tied for the UFC lightweight knockout record after recording a violent finish at UFC 299.

In the co-main event at Kaseya Center in Miami, Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) met Benoit Saint Denis’ pressure with accuracy. Despite giving Poirier trouble, Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) ended up on the wrong end of a violent knockout at 2:32 of Round 2.

The fight started fast, and held that same pace until the conclusion.

After an initial exchange of hard leg kicks, Poirier countered a takedown by jumping on a guillotine choke. The attempt appeared tight initially, but Saint Denis was able to flip over and escape from the hold. The clinch fighting continued and Saint Denis found his way to Poirier’s back momentarily.

They would return to the center and striking exchanges followed. Hard punches from Poirier were offered, but Saint Denis pressed forward with hard short elbows and knees in the clinch.

The pace was incredibly fast for a fight scheduled for 25 minutes.

Poirier attempted to jump on another guillotine, but it wasn’t there. Saint Denis ended up on the back after a scramble, and nearly locked up an armbar before the horn, but Poirier signaled to the crowd that it wasn’t secured.

Round 2 started with heavy pressure from Saint Denis. Despite his corner asking him to abandon the guillotine attempts, Poirier jumped on another one. Again, the result was Saint Denis escaping, and taking his back. The fight would return to standing, though, where they traded punches in a phone booth against the cage.

After a resetting, they quickly continued trading punches, but Poirier connected with a flush left hand that rocked Saint Denis. Recognizing the damage, Poirier turned up the intensity and put the finishing touches on his opponent, ending with a violent right hook and an exclamation point follow-up punch.

Poirier’s knockout finish ties Drew Dober for the most in lightweight history (9). The result places “The Diamond” back into the win column, and perhaps back in title contention. The 35-year-old former interim champion has traded wins and losses over his last four fights, but firmly remains among the elite of the division.

 

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Up-to-the-minute UFC 299 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.