Justin Gaethje crushes Dustin Poirier with high kick knockout, wins ‘BMF’ belt in style | UFC 291

Second verse, same as the first?

One of the most anticipated rematches in modern mixed martial arts (MMA) unfolds TONIGHT (Sat., July 29, 2023) at UFC 291 from inside Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, as former interim Lightweight champions, Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, meet in the main event for the “BMF” title.

Indeed, UFC matchmakers were looking to capture lighting in a bottle twice, booking a five-round, non-title bout to headline a blockbuster pay-per-view (PPV) show. But, that just goes to show how incredible the pairing is between “The Diamond” and “The Highlight.” And with the inaugural BMF belt holder, Jorge Masvidal, retiring from the sport earlier this year, it made perfect sense for these two special warriors to continue the “gimmick.”

IT’S TIME TO CROWN UFC’s NEW BMF!

Live updates will begin to flow below the moment the two fighters make their way to the Octagon ...

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MASSIVE MIDDLEWEIGHT MATCH! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) makes its highly anticipated return to Sydney, Australia, for the first time in five years on Sat., Sept. 9, 2023, with a 185-pound world title fight inside Qudos Bank Arena. In the ESPN+-streamed pay-per-view (PPV) main event, Middleweight roost-ruler, Israel Adesanya, plans to silence No. 5-seeded contender, Sean Strickland. In UFC 293’s hard-hitting Heavyweight co-main event, No-6-ranked fan favorite, Tai Tuivasa, locks horns with towering Russian, Alexander Volkov (No. 8).

Don’t miss a single second of EPIC face-punching action!

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Gaethje, the “challenger” because he dropped their first encounter, was the first to make the walk:

Then, it was time for “The Diamond” to enter the cage to James Brown’s “The Boss:”

Round one:

Both fighters touched gloves and we were off and punching ...

Gaethje got things started with a low kick, which Dustin countered with a kick to the gut. More kicks from Gaethje, with Dustin looking to cut off the cage and trap him in the corner so he can work his boxing skills. Nice jab from Dustin, with Gaethje scoring a but later with a nice little combination upstairs and finishing with kicks downstairs. Gaethje ducked into a kick, but then fired off a straight right hand to get Dustin off of him. Big right hand from Gaethje, then an uppercut, as Dustin takes a deep breath. Nice straight left hand from Dustin, with Gaethje noticeably bothered. Dustin hit him with another hard shot upstairs that sent Gaethje back to the cage wounded, but he sprung off it with a wild shot so he didn’t get stuck. Gaethje cut over left eye, but he’s still slinging leather. Low kick from Gaethje, then a high kick, which Dustin blocked. Nice left hand and flurry from Gaethje at the buzzer. And, shocker, super close round to score.

Round two:

Gaethje’s corner was thrilled with their fighter’s performance, while Dustin’s told him to set him up with a head kick. But Gaethje must have been listening, because he iced Dustin with a right high kick and a follow up shot for good measure. INSANE!

Controlled chaos indeed!

Final result: Gaethje def. Poirier via knockout (head kick) in round two — WATCH HIGHLIGHTS!

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