Despite Conor McGregor’s Rare Praise, Dustin Poirier Throws Shade at Bitter Rival After Benoit Saint Denis KO Win at UFC 299

Dustin Poirier returned to the winning column after an impressive performance at UFC 299. He knocked out Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event, garnering a reaction from his former rival Conor McGregor. ‘The Diamond’ later took a dig as a response to the Irishman’s reaction to his recent fight.

It is safe to assume that there is no love lost between Conor McGregor and Dustin Poirier. It was evident when ‘The Notorious’ would not stop laying the verbal smackdown on ‘The Diamond’ after he broke his leg at UFC 264. Both fighters have always taken the opportunity to take jibes at each other whenever the opportunity presents itself. As such, McGregor couldn’t stop but share a reaction to Poirier’s recent fight as well.

Dustin Poirier responds to Conor McGregor’s tweet

Conor McGregor took to X and shared a tweet, congratulating Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint-Denis for their fight. Moreover, he called both UFC 299 contenders as Frenchman even though the former is American. Strangely, McGregor also tagged the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, in the tweet as well. To many people, it seemed like a taunt aimed at Poirier.

When Dustin Poirier addressed the media after his win, reporters made him aware of McGregor’s tweet, he did not seem too impressed. Instead, ‘The Diamond’ believes that the former double champion may have felt the punches he threw at Benoit Saint-Denis that led him to share a strange reaction.

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“Yeah? He [McGregor] felt that right hook, too,” said Poirier during the post-fight press conference. It will be interesting to see if McGregor shares a response to this comment in the future. Besides the reaction from McGregor, Poirier also made waves after tying a record after registering his 15th career knockout at UFC 299.

‘The Diamond’ ties the record for most FOTN bonuses

Although people were skeptical of Dustin Poirier’s chances against Benoit Saint-Denis, he overcame the Frenchman after almost losing out in the first round. The former interim champion tied a record in the process. Poirier now shares the top spot with Edson Barboza for most ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses received by a UFC fighter.

Now, both Edson Barboza and Dustin Poirier have 9 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses under their belts. Things didn’t just go well for Dustin Poirier, as every other fighter who earned a finish at UFC 299 was awarded ‘Performance of the Night’ bonuses as well. It was a great night for UFC fighters at the Kaseya Center, to say the least.

With a win under his belt, fans are waiting to see what’s next for Dustin Poirier. However, the back-and-forth with Conor McGregor also gives rise to the question of whether that is a fight that can take place in the future. Will Poirier rekindle his rivalry with the Irishman? Drop your comments below.

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