Dana White Praises Dustin Poirier’s Latest Win – ‘That Makes You A Legend’
Dana White praised Dustin Poirier’s victory against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299.
The Diamond was the co-main event attraction on the Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera card. Poirier had many questions when entering this fight. He spoke about how this bout could be his last, especially if he suffered another defeat.
He was stopped by Justin Gaethje in his last bout at UFC 291 in the second round. The defeat meant he missed the opportunity to become the BMF Champion. He was facing an opponent who is considered one of the best lightweights around. He was on a five-fight win streak. Saint-Denis’ last loss was in 2021 at UFC 267. Poirier hinted that it could be his last bout.
“To test myself really. To see if I still got it. This guy is young, hungry, on a streak, has finished his last five opponents. That makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire. There’s where I feel I do my best work, and those are the kinds of fighters I want to fight.
“Guys who are leaving it all out there, showing grit, they fight for finishes. That’s the kind of fight I want to be involved in. Every fight could be it. Every fight. Where I’m at, 35 years old, this is my 30th fight in the UFC. Every fight could be it,” Poirier said
White On Poirier
But his performance has likely changed all that. Poirier knocked out Benoit Saint-Denis in the second round. The American connected with a massive uppercut, followed by a body shot and a left hand. Saint-Denis was hurt, and Poirier finished his man off. A right hook ended proceedings as Saint-Denis hit the canvas. White praised Poirier, considering where the fighter was in his career.
“The fight that he took tonight with Benoit, when the talk first started, everybody was like, ‘Oh, this is a bad fight for Poirier, blah, blah, blah. Then Poirier came out and said ‘you know what, I didn’t sign’ and all this [other stuff]. This is the s*** that makes you a f****** legend. These are legendary fights. Poirier, again like I just said, his stock again goes through the roof. At his age, all the things he’s accomplished, all the things he’s done, look at what he did tonight,” White stated
White On O’Malley
The CEO of the UFC was equally complimentary of Sean O’Malley’s win over Marlon Vera. O’Malley’s only loss on his record was to Vera makes his win all the more impressive. The UFC Bantamweight Champion dominated the fight, beating Vera in a comprehensive unanimous decision. The victory increased O’Malley’s claim as one of the UFC’s biggest starts. White was full of praise for the champion.
“Biggest bantamweight fight of all time. Based off of energy, excitement, gate, and pay-per-view. It’s by far the biggest fight ever in the bantamweight division. He’s on his way. He’s the biggest star ever in bantamweight history. We can say that right now,” White said
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