"Never really seen him rocked" - Dustin Poirier reveals his pick for Knockout of the Year and explains why it stands above the rest
Dustin Poirier recently disclosed his pick for Knockout of the Year and explained why he believes it stands out compared to some of the other impressive finishes in 2024. The Louisiana native singled out the knockout due to its significance and circumstances surrounding the bout.
There have been several highlight-reel finishes that make a strong argument for Knockout of the Year. However, there can only be one winner. The consensus among the MMA community has been Max Holloway's incredible last-second knockout win over Justin Gaethje to capture the 'BMF' title is deserving of that honor. But, Poirier brought up a more recent one that arguably overshadows that moment.
During his latest appearance on ESPN's Good Guy / Bad Guy, the former interim lightweight champion revealed that Ilia Topuria knocking out Holloway to retain his featherweight championship was his pick.
Poirier mentioned that 'Blessed' had never been finished despite fighting power punchers including himself, and so Topuria accomplishing that the way he did deserves recognition:
"Just how elusive [Holloway] is there but also the guys he fought, he's never been put down...Taking big shots and always answering the bell, always getting back up, always showing up to the next round. Never really seen him rocked or stumble that much. And to get put down for the first time after 30-plus UFC fights is to me Knockout of the Year."
Check out the full video featuring Dustin Poirier's comments below (3:48):
Dustin Poirier explains why his knockout over Benoit Saint Denis shouldn't be considered
In addition to revealing his pick for Knockout of the Year, Dustin Poirier also explained why he doesn't believe his impressive knockout win over Benoit Saint Denis shouldn't be considered.
During the aforementioned video, Poirier humbly disagreed with Daniel Cormier and mentioned that the circumstances and quality of opponent is the reason why he holds Ilia Topuria's knockout in higher regard than his own:
"I'm proud of that moment but against the competition... [Saint Denis] only had five or six fights in the UFC, he was on a streak but Topuria did it against the 'BMF' champ, former world champ, and the title's on the line. That's Knockout of the Year." [4:46]
Check out the reaction to Ilia Topuria's knockout win over Max Holloway below: