Dustin Poirier reacts following knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291

By Chris Taylor - July 29, 2023

Dustin Poirier spoke with reporters shortly following his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in tonight’s UFC 291 main event.

Dustin Poirier

Poirier (29-8 MMA) collided with Gaethje (25-4 MMA) for a second time in the headliner of tonight’s pay-per-view event is Salt Lake City, Utah.

‘The Diamond’ had of course defeated ‘The Highlight’ via fourth-round TKO in their first fight in April of 2018.

This time around the BMF title was up for grabs and the high stakes rematch did not disappoint.

Round one was closely contested with Dustin Poirier getting a slight edge on most pros and analysts scorecards. However, that momentum was short lived, as early into round two Justin Gaethje floored the Louisianna native with a massive head kick. ‘The Highlight’ quickly jumped on his downed opponent with a hammer fist and the referee immediately jumped in to wave off the contest.

The stunning loss has seemingly postponed any chance of Dustin Poirier earning another UFC lightweight title fight. Despite the disappointing setback, ‘DP’ was nothing but class while speaking at the post-fight press conference.

“I’ve been here before, but man, the career I’ve had, the fights I’ve had and where I’ve come from, I feel like I’ve already won… I’m good, if I win like a man, I’ve got to be able to lose like a man.”

When asked of a possible trilogy bout with Justin Gaethje, Poirier responded with the following comments:

“We’ll see, we’re 1-1 and we knocked each other out. We’ll see.”

Prior to tonight’s knockout loss, Dustin Poirier was coming off a submission win over Michael Chandler. ‘The Diamond’ is 4-2 over his past six fights overall.

Who would you like to see Poirier fight next following his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in tonight’s UFC 291 main event?


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Dustin Poirier UFC UFC 291