Dustin Poirier Reveals His UFC KO of the Year: ‘More Was on the Line'

UFC's Dustin Poirier upholds Ilia Topuria vs. Max Holloway as the best KO of the year.

Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Dustin Poirier has named his favorite UFC knockout of the year... and it's not his own.

"The Diamond" dismantled Benoit Saint-Denis earlier this year in his own show-stopping candidate for the award, but Poirier's eyes are elsewhere when it comes to 2024's best KO. From flying knees to buzzer-beaters, there's a lot of highlights that come to mind, arguably none bigger than Max Holloway's.

POIRIER KNOCKS OUT SAINT DENIS 😱 #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/0AjktTebk7

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) March 10, 2024

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"That Was Super Impressive For Me"

Though, Poirier's choice isn't Holloway's jaw-dropping KO of Justin Gaethje at UFC 300, instead selecting his former foe's first stoppage-loss in 12 years to Ilia Topuria at UFC 308.

"For me personally, I think it's got to be Topuria knocking out Max," Poirier said on Good Guy / Bad Guy. "Max is a legend, multiple-time world champion, one of the best guys to ever do it and Topuria was the first man to put him on his a** and knock him out. That was super impressive for me."

He did EXACTLY what he said he'd do 🤯@TopuriaIlia just knocked out Max Holloway at #UFC308!

[ #InAbuDhabi | @InAbuDhabi | @VisitAbuDhabi ] pic.twitter.com/hbQjS5qplS

— UFC (@ufc) October 26, 2024

What Makes Topuria vs. Holloway So Special

Poirier remains the only fighter to have submitted Holloway back in 2012, nearly stopping him with punches in their rematch at UFC 236 - albeit, Holloway managed to survive against him and so many others before and after.

For Poirier, that's what makes Topuria's knockout of Holloway all the more impressive and the best knockout of the year.

"That definitely plays into it," Poirier continued. "How elusive he is in there. But also the guys he's fought, he's never been put down, right? Going in there toe-to-toe with Gaethje, I mean, the list goes on with me, with Conor, a bunch of guys 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 stumbled that much. And to get put down for the first time after 30 plus UFC fights is to me, knockout of the year."

UFC 236: Dustin Poirier vs. Max Holloway 2. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

When referring to Holloway's knockout of Gaethje at UFC 300 - Daniel Cormier's pick for KO of the Year - Dustin Poirier said "more was on the line" between Holloway and Topuria at UFC 308, with the past generation meeting the new in a featherweight title fight for the ages.

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