Justin Gaethje KNOCKS OUT Dustin Poirier with head kick to win BMF title at UFC 291

Jun 17, 2023

Justin Gaethje is the new 'Baddest Motherf*****' in the UFC.

'The Highlight' sensationally knocked Dustin Poirier out cold with a second-round head kick to secure the best win of his career at UFC 291.

The first five minutes suggested MMA fans may be in for another Fight of the Year contender when Poirier and Gaethje rematched for the BMF belt.

They first fought in 2018, and on that occasion, Poirier picked up a TKO win after four rounds of memorable back-and-forth action at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona.

However, Gaethje refused to get into another war with ‘The Diamond’ who he peppered with brutal leg kicks for much of their rematch in Salt Lake City.

In the second frame, ‘The Highlight’ sent one of his kicks upstairs and managed to put Poirier to sleep even though his rival got a hand up to block it.

The epic knockout blow drew an immediate comparison to the kick Leon Edwards landed to upset Kamaru Usman, a teammate of UFC 291’s big winner, in the same arena 11 months ago.

Gaethje celebrated by climbing the cage and doing a massive backflip, as he always does, before shaking hands with Poirier when he regained consciousness.

The 34-year-old appears to have secured a title shot with his latest win.

Islam Makhachev will defend his lightweight belt in a rematch with Charles Oliveira, who he previously submitted to become a champion, at UFC 294 on October 21.

Gaethje will most likely face the winner, but he also appears to have a lucrative backup option as Conor McGregor immediately called him out after UFC 291.

“Justin, I’ll slap you around,” he tweeted.

“I’m the real bmf, he can fight for pennies if he wants but I want spirits, I call the shots.

"I’m in it to launch shots, f*** chandler, you want it call for it.”

👊 𝕋𝕙𝕖 𝔹𝕄𝔽 👊 Justin Gaethje has KNOCKED OUT Dustin Poirier in the main event! 💪#UFC291 pic.twitter.com/TGQMDXN6xH