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Head Kick! Justin Gaethje Stuns Poirier in UFC 291 to win the BMF belt
Justin “The Highlight” Gaethje returned to the Lightweight title chase as he delivered a highlight for the ages against Dustin “The Diamond” Poirier. The main event of the night between the two lightweight contenders featured the “BMF” belt on the line. The belt was first introduced in 2019 when Miami’s very own Jorge “Gamebred” Masvidal beat Nate Diaz at UFC 244. Masvidal was also there to hold the belt in Salt Lake City, Utah for the face off between Gaethje and Poirier.
For Gaethje, the win was that much sweeter as he avenged his 2018 loss to Poirier. In that loss Poirier, who is considered one of the best boxers in the UFC, showed exceptional footwork and was able to throw multiple combinations as he slipped Gaethje’s heavy punches. Gaethje looked like a different fighter this time around as he improved his footwork and followed up with some brutal leg kicks to slow Poirier down. Early in the second round Poirier , who seemed to grab his shorts between exchanges, was too slow to react to Gaethje head kick. The blow seemed very reminiscent of Leon Edward’s head kick versus Kamaru Usman in their Welterweight championship fight in the same building.
Post fight, Gaethje told Joe Rogan that he hoped that this win would inspire others to come back after a hard loss. “We take a loss, we have to sit at home and let it eat away at us. We usually never get that chance. So, to come back and prove myself -- I believed in myself the whole time” said Gaethje. Gaethje hopes this win earns him a title shot against the winner between Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira 2, which is scheduled to be on October 21st at UFC 294. Gaethje can also look for a money fight against Conor McGregor, who showed some interest in “Slapping” Gaethje around on Twitter. For Poirier, it was the first time he had been knocked out in the UFC since 2016. Poirier, however, can still bounce back with a win in the top 5. Some options for Poirier may include Rafael Fiziev and Beniel Dariush.
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