Dana White: Dustin Poirier’s Stock Is Through The Roof
At UFC 299, Dustin Poirier fought back in the rankings against dangerous up-and-comer Benoit Saint-Denis. Despite that, Poirier’s stock is through the roof after he landed a brutal knockout in the second round.
At his UFC 299 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White commended Poirier’s willingness to fight Saint-Denis and gave him massive props for his performance. All quotes via The Score.
“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.”
“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.”
Poirier desperately needed a win at UFC 299. The 35-year-old was coming off a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje and was 1-2 in his last three fights. In a what have you done for me lately business, Poirier got back on track while adding to his highlight reel. After that performance, he likely will not be forced to fight back in the rankings anytime soon.
The real question for Poirier is about his future. Yes, his stock is through the roof, but it is hard to pin down his next foe. The UFC lightweight division is currently booked at the top. At UFC 300, Justin Gaethje will fight Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira will fight Arman Tsarukyan. It seems unlikely that Poirier will jump any of those names for a title fight. At the same time, he has already fought Oliveira and Gaethje. Hopefully, the packed lightweight division will have answers soon.
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