UFC 302 headliner Dustin Poirier delivered a finish worthy of a surprise shot at championship glory at the expense of Benoît Saint Denis this past March.
The former interim UFC lightweight champion will feature in the main event of this weekend's pay-per-view card in Newark, New Jersey, where he's tasked with bringing the reign of Islam Makhachev to an end in the Russian's third defense.
Poirier entered 2024 seemingly out of title contention following a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje last July. In his return to action at UFC 299 in Miami, however, "The Diamond" maintained his top five spot by turning away the challenge of one of the division's most highly touted up-and-comers in Saint Denis.
After a difficult first round that saw the Frenchman on top, Poirier showed that he's far from lost a step by stopping "God of War" with strikes in the second. As it turns out, that win netted the Louisianan another opportunity at the belt thanks to results going his way at UFC 300 the following month.
Ahead of Saturday's event, the promotion has released the full Poirier vs. Saint Denis fight from UFC 299 on its official YouTube channel.
With that result being enough to book Poirier the next place opposite Makhachev inside the cage, "The Diamond" will look to replicate that performance in Miami to achieve undisputed glory this weekend.
Should he achieve that feat, the Louisianan will have checked the final box in his illustrious career on MMA's biggest stage.
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