DUSTIN POIRIER proved there’s still life in the old dog yet with a brutal stoppage of Benoit Saint-Denis – which he followed up with a chat with Donald Trump.
The former interim lightweight champion returned to action against the surging Frenchman on Saturday night on a stacked UFC 299 card in Miami.
GettyDustin Poirier faced Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 299[/caption]
GETTYSaint-Denis was relentless with his pressure from the get-go[/caption]
GETTYThe Frenchman landed several nasty elbows in the Thai clinch[/caption]
MMA fans around the world were worried for ‘The Diamond’ when the fight was announced as he suffered a vicious stoppage loss to Justin Gaethje last July.
But those concerns were proven to be misplaced as he stopped the former French counter-terrorist solider in the second round of their Miami melee.
Saint-Denis, 28, immediately took the centre of the octagon, where they exchanged hard leg kicks early doors.
It wasn’t long before BDS shot for a takedown, which Poirier defended with a guillotine choke attempt.
The Frenchman stayed calm and managed to roll out of the position before taking the back of the fan favourite.
Poirier managed to shake BDS off him but ate two hard shots before circling away from the fence.
Saint-Denis refused to relent with his pace, walking Poirier down and landing knees and elbows in the Thai clinch.
Saint-Denis shot for another takedown attempt with a minute and a half of the round left but found himself in another guillotine attempt, which he defended.
GETTYDustin Poirier wobbled Benoit Saint-Denis with a vicious straight left in the second round[/caption]
GettyThe Diamond dropped Saint-Denis with a nasty right hook[/caption]
He managed to keep his dominant position and eventually took the back of Poirier, who fended off a nasty-looking armbar with seconds of the stanza remaining.
Poirier once again allowed Saint-Denis to dictate the pace of the early stages of the second stanza but dropped the former army man with a short uppercut.
Saint-Denis shot for a takedown, which Poirier once again defended with another guillotine attempt.
Saint-Denis escaped the bad position and had close to a minute of grappling dominance before Poirier managed to get back to his feet.
BDS continued to come forward and found himself wobbled by a big straight left hand.
Poirier sensed blood and followed up with another hellacious right that dropped the Bayonne bruiser, who crumpled to the canvas.
And he closed the show with an academic right that prompted referee Mike Beltran to call a halt to proceedings.
GettyBenoit Saint-Denis was out cold before Dustin Poirier followed up with an academic shot[/caption]
UFCPoirier had a brief chat with Donald Trump after the KO[/caption]