5 biggest winners from UFC 291: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2
This weekend saw the UFC visit Salt Lake City for a major pay-per-view, and it’s probably fair to say that the event delivered hugely in terms of wild action.
UFC 291: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2 featured some of the best finishes of 2023 thus far, and also saw some fighters come away with major wins.
Where these fighters go from here remains to be seen, but it’s fair to say that they’ll enjoy the fruit of their labor last night for some time.
Here are the five biggest winners from UFC 291: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje 2.
#5. Bobby Green – defeated Tony Ferguson in a UFC lightweight bout
While it’s probably fair to say that the version of Tony Ferguson that Bobby Green defeated last night ought to consider retirement after suffering his sixth successive loss, it’s also fair to say that this was the biggest win in the UFC career of ‘King’.
After all, despite his current status, ‘El Cucuy’ is a former lightweight titleholder, and he remains one of the most decorated 155lbers on the roster.
Early on, he did give some flashes of his former self as he dropped Green with a right hand in the first round. As the fight went on, though, the former champ found himself busted up and taken down, and he was largely unable to get anything going from his back.
Finally, in the third round, he was able to hurt Ferguson with strikes, plant him on his back again, and this time, he sank in a fight-ending arm-triangle choke, leaving ‘El Cucuy’ unconscious.
It’s unlikely that ‘King’ will climb back into contention based on this win, but given his own struggles, it should keep his octagon career alive. A $50k performance bonus won’t have done any harm, either.
#4. Kevin Holland – defeated Michael Chiesa in a UFC welterweight bout
It’s very arguable that the most impressive performance at UFC 291 outright came from Kevin Holland. ‘The Trailblazer’ put together a flawless showing to dispatch No.12 ranked welterweight Michael Chiesa and should enter the 170lbs rankings next week.
Chiesa was clearly in trouble from the get-go with Holland, who sniped at him from the outside with clean punches. When he failed to take ‘The Trailblazer’ down despite his prior struggles in the wrestling area, it seemed only a matter of time.
However, few fans would’ve expected Holland to finish things the way he did – by securing a beautiful D’Arce choke to force ‘The Maverick’ to tap out just past the midway point of the first round.
Holland’s future is somewhat up in the air due to the potential of him moving back to 185lbs, but in reality, 170lbs suits him perfectly. His lengthy frame means he can strike with most fighters there, and his wrestling clearly isn’t a weakness there.
Where he goes from here remains to be seen, but this was definitely a huge win for him that sits alongside the best of his career.
#3. Alex Pereira – defeated Jan Blachowicz in a UFC light-heavyweight bout
The fighter from last night’s event who is most likely to go on to claim a UFC title shot is almost certainly Alex Pereira. ‘Poatan’ made a successful octagon debut at 205lbs, outpointing former champ Jan Blachowicz to claim a split decision.
Despite his win, though, it’s arguable that this was perhaps the least impressive victory of the Brazilian’s octagon career to date.
The first round saw Blachowicz pin him to the ground and dominate him there, hunting for a rear naked choke from back mount for almost the entire stanza.
However, that round seemed to tire the Polish fighter out, and from there, Pereira began to take over. He damaged Blachowicz’s legs with heavy kicks and clearly landed the heavier punches in the exchanges.
Blachowicz did land a late takedown to put doubt into the decision, but overall, ‘Poatan’ probably did deserve to edge the bout.
How well he can really do at 205lbs remains uncertain, though, and if he’s to succeed, his grappling game clearly needs work. Overall though, it’s hard to knock him for beating a former champion, so he has to be considered one of the night’s big winners.
#2. Derrick Lewis – defeated Marcos Rogerio de Lima in a UFC heavyweight bout
The most explosive finish on last night’s card came from heavyweight veteran Derrick Lewis, who needed just 33 seconds to dispatch Marcos Rogerio de Lima.
Prior to this fight, most fans figured Lewis was on the downswing of his UFC career. However, ‘The Black Beast’ clearly took things seriously – even sporting abs at Friday’s weigh-ins – and wasted no time.
He flew out of the blocks by dropping de Lima with a flying knee, and then hammered him with brutal punches until referee Dan Miragliotta had to step in.
Given that Lewis’ last win came way back in December 2021, and that he’d lost his last three bouts, to say he needed this victory would be an understatement.
Sure, ‘The Black Beast’ was never likely to be cut even with a bad loss, but with a victory like this, he should be back in his prior position as a reliable headliner – making him a huge winner on the night.
#1. Justin Gaethje – defeated Dustin Poirier to win the UFC BMF title
While the UFC’s BMF title remains little more than a gimmick, it’s hard to dispute the idea that UFC 291’s biggest winner was Justin Gaethje.
‘The Highlight’ not only claimed the title vacated by the now-retired Jorge Masvidal with his brutal head kick knockout of Dustin Poirier, he also avenged a devastating earlier career loss, too.
Overall, while the fight didn’t quite live up to the standards of that 2018 clash, which saw Poirier win via fourth-round TKO, it certainly provided fans with one of the most memorable finishes of the year.
With both men landing big shots in the first round, it didn’t take Gaethje long to land the killer blow in the second. He slipped a punch, threw a picture-perfect kick that connected to the side of Poirier’s head, and the fight was over.
Poirier regained his consciousness remarkably quickly, but the stoppage was definitely just, and probably marked Gaethje’s biggest win in the octagon.
With champ Islam Makhachev set to face Charles Oliveira in October, Gaethje will probably have to wait for a potential title shot, but should Makhachev win, ‘The Highlight’ would make the perfect foe for him.
Overall then, this night belonged to Gaethje, who was clearly the biggest winner.