UFC star Dustin Poirier was astounded watching Ilia Topuria flatten his two-time rival Max Holloway at UFC 308.
Topuria made his pre-fight prediction come to fruition by knocking out Holloway in the UFC 308 main event. It was the first time that Holloway had been knocked out in his illustrious career, and the first time he’s been stopped since 2012.
Topuria continues to silence his detractors with every highlight he produces inside the Octagon. He’s one of the UFC’s promising young stars and reeled in a new era in the UFC featherweight division.
One such detractor was Poirier, who picked his former opponent Holloway to defeat Topuria at UFC 308. While Poirier’s prediction was incorrect, that didn’t stop the former interim lightweight champion from giving Topuria his due props.
Dustin Poirier blankets Ilia Topuria with praise after UFC 308 knockout
During the UFC 308 post-fight show, Poirier reacted to Topuria’s triumphant performance in Abu Dhabi.
“I am more than impressed, I’m blown away,” Poirier said of Topuria.
“Not that I didn’t think it could happen, of course, it could happen. Topuria’s an incredible boxer, big power, sits down on all of his punches, great technique. I just didn’t think it would happen…
“You saw him standing in the Octagon with that rose in his hand? Now is the time to give him his flowers, because he’s everything he said he was, he said what he was going to do, and he went out there and did it. First man in the world to knock out a legend in Max Holloway, one of the best 45-pound fighters that has ever walked the Earth.”
Poirier defeated Holloway twice in their UFC careers. A featherweight Poirier submitted Holloway at UFC 143 and defeated him by unanimous decision for the interim lightweight title at UFC 236.
Ilia Topuria garners praise, taunts from UFC stars after UFC 308
Another one of Poirier’s former rivals, Conor McGregor, wasn’t as complementary to Topuria’s performance. In a series of social media posts, McGregor continued his ongoing beef with Topuria and promised to knock him out in a potential fight.
Poirier is expected to return to the Octagon in 2025 after pivoting on his earlier retirement stance. Potential opponents for his comeback fight include Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and Nate Diaz if Diaz decides to rejoin the UFC.
Meanwhile, Topuria will likely face Alexander Volkanovski in a rematch of their UFC 298 title clash. Topuria knocked out Volkanovski to earn the UFC featherweight championship.
Poirier is one of the top stars in the UFC, and Topuria has cemented himself as a blossoming international superstar. After facing some of the top names in UFC history, Poirier believes big things are on the horizon for Topuria after UFC 308.