American MMA stalwart Dustin Poirier secured a thrilling second-round KO victory over France’s Benoit Saint Denis in their lightweight bout at UFC 299 (March 9, 2024).
Following that, Poirier’s longtime rival Conor McGregor seemingly lauded both fighters. For his part, ‘The Diamond’ subsequently issued a concise response to McGregor. Moreover, ‘The Notorious’ had alluded to Poirier’s French connection, given the Louisiana-born fighter’s Cajun heritage.
Tagging French President Emmanuel Macron and the UFC lightweights in his tweet, Conor McGregor wrote:
Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier have been bitter rivals for about a decade. Their first fight transpired at featherweight in September 2014 and witnessed ‘The Notorious’ win via first-round TKO. Their rematch and trilogy were contested at lightweight, in January 2021 and July 2021 respectively.
‘The Diamond’ won their second encounter via second-round KO and their third clash by first-round TKO. Besides, McGregor suffered a gruesome leg injury in their rubber match, which resulted in a hiatus he’s yet to come out of.
All things considered, both fighters have exchanged stinging jibes in the vast majority of their interviews/social media posts regarding one another. That includes derogatory remarks made by McGregor regarding Poirier’s wife, Jolie Poirier, especially in the lead-up and aftermath of their trilogy fight.
On that note, McGregor’s appreciatory tweet after the KO finish in the Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis fight has surprised many. During the UFC 299 post-fight press conference, ‘The Diamond’ was asked about the tweet.
The former interim UFC lightweight champion replied by indicating that akin to the right hook he just KO’d Saint Denis with, he’d similarly knocked McGregor out with a right hook in their rematch in January 2021. Giving a six-word response, Poirier stated:
“He felt that right hook, too.”
Check out Dustin Poirier’s comments below:
Watch Poirier’s post-fight press conference segment below (*McGregor-related comments at the 6:32-minute mark):