UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 | Event Profile, Full Results & Legacy
- Ariel Helwhiney
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
Introduction
UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2 took place on Saturday, July 29, 2023 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was a rematch of one of the most-watched UFC lightweight bouts of the modern era — Poirier vs. Gaethje, first contested at UFC 249 in May 2020, where Gaethje had won by fifth-round TKO. This time the fight was for the BMF belt. The card produced an estimated 600,000 pay-per-view buys.
Justin Gaethje won the BMF belt by knocking out Dustin Poirier with a left high kick and follow-up strikes at 3:29 of round one. The finish was sharp and decisive — Gaethje landed a clean right hand that wobbled Poirier at 3:00, followed with a combination that dropped him at 3:20, and finished with two follow-up strikes before referee Herb Dean waved off the fight. Justin Gaethje was the BMF champion.
The co-main was Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green — Ferguson's seventh consecutive UFC defeat, extending the longest active losing streak in modern UFC history. Jan Blachowicz and Aleksandar Rakic fought a technical three-round light-heavyweight bout, with Blachowicz winning via unanimous decision.
Contents
Quick Stats
📅 Date: Saturday, July 29, 2023
📍 Venue: Delta Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
👥 Attendance: 18,308 (full capacity)
💰 Gate: $4.8 million
📺 PPV Buys: ~600,000
📡 Broadcast: Pay-per-view (ESPN+ in USA)
🏆 Main Event: Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje — BMF Title (155 lbs, 5 rounds)
✅ Result: Gaethje def. Poirier via KO (punches) — R1, 3:29
🥇 Co-Main: Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green — Green def. Ferguson via UD (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight
The Build-Up
The BMF (Baddest Mother F***er) belt was created at UFC 244 in November 2019, when Jorge Masvidal defeated Nate Diaz by doctor stoppage in round three. Masvidal held the symbolic title until UFC 291, where the UFC resurrected the belt for the Poirier-Gaethje rematch. The belt was stripped of formal championship status — it cannot be defended, carries no divisional ranking implications, and is purely symbolic. The UFC framed it as a celebration of fan-friendly violence.
Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje had first fought at UFC 249 in May 2020, where Gaethje had won by fifth-round TKO. In the three years since, Poirier had challenged for the UFC lightweight title twice (losses to Khabib at UFC 242 and Charles Oliveira at UFC 269), while Gaethje had challenged twice (losses to Khabib at UFC 254 and Oliveira at UFC 274). The BMF rematch was framed as a recognition of both men's legacy as the most fan-friendly welterweights-turned-lightweights of the modern era.
Main Event: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2
The fight lasted 3:29 of round one. Both men opened aggressively, trading combinations from the opening bell. Poirier landed a clean left hook at 0:45 that wobbled Gaethje; Gaethje landed a right hand at 1:30 that made Poirier clinch to reset. At 3:00, Gaethje landed a clean left kick to the body followed by a right hand that hurt Poirier against the cage. He pressed with sustained combinations; a right hand at 3:20 dropped Poirier to the canvas. Three follow-up strikes brought referee Herb Dean in at 3:29.
Justin Gaethje was the BMF champion. The KO in round one was a reversal from their UFC 249 meeting, which had gone five rounds with Gaethje winning on cardio. The quick finish confirmed Gaethje's power as the defining element of his game — no lightweight in the modern era has a more devastating right hand.
Gaethje lost the BMF belt to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April 2024, in one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history — Holloway KO'd Gaethje with two seconds left in round five. For Dustin Poirier, the loss was his third consecutive UFC defeat. He defeated Islam Makhachev for... wait, actually: Poirier has not won a UFC title. He challenged Makhachev at UFC 302 in June 2024 and lost via submission R5.
Co-Main Event: Ferguson vs. Green
Tony Ferguson's seventh consecutive UFC loss. Bobby Green pressed forward through all three rounds with sustained combination striking and his trademark footwork. Ferguson's output was creative but too low-volume to win rounds. Final scorecards: 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 Green. Ferguson's losing streak now stood at seven — the longest in modern UFC history.
Ferguson would lose his eighth consecutive UFC bout (to Paddy Pimblett at UFC 296 in December 2023 by UD) before being released by the UFC in May 2025. His losing streak of eight was the longest active streak in UFC history at the time of his release.
Full Results
Main Card (Pay-Per-View)
Justin Gaethje def. Dustin Poirier — KO (punches) — R1, 3:29 — BMF Title
Bobby Green def. Tony Ferguson — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight
Jan Blachowicz def. Aleksandar Rakic — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Light Heavyweight
Arnold Allen def. Calvin Kattar — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight
Michael Chiesa def. Kevin Holland — Submission (rear-naked choke) — R2, 4:53 — Welterweight
Preliminary Card (ESPN/ESPN+)
Esteban Ribovics def. Viacheslav Borshchev — TKO (punches) — R2, 4:22 — Lightweight
Daniel Zellhuber def. Rafa Garcia — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Lightweight
Rinat Fakhretdinov def. Andreas Michailidis — TKO (punches) — R1, 3:46 — Welterweight
Julian Erosa def. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke — Unanimous Decision (29-28 ×3) — Featherweight
Bonuses & Awards
🥇 Performance of the Night: Justin Gaethje — $50,000 for the first-round KO of Dustin Poirier to win the BMF belt.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Esteban Ribovics — $50,000 for the second-round TKO of Viacheslav Borshchev.
🥇 Performance of the Night: Michael Chiesa — $50,000 for the second-round rear-naked choke submission of Kevin Holland.
Records & Milestones
• BMF belt resurrected — first time the belt had been contested since Jorge Masvidal won it at UFC 244 in November 2019.
• Gaethje's second career KO of a top-five lightweight — the most devastating right hand in the modern 155-lb division.
• Tony Ferguson's seventh consecutive UFC loss — on his way to an eight-fight losing streak before release from the UFC.
• Poirier-Gaethje final series ledger: 1-1 across two meetings; Gaethje won the first by R5 TKO, Gaethje won the second by R1 KO.
Legacy & Impact
UFC 291 is remembered as the night Justin Gaethje reclaimed his status as the most dangerous lightweight striker in the world and the night the BMF belt returned to active competition. The R1 KO of Dustin Poirier in 3:29 — a reversal from their first meeting, which had gone five rounds — confirmed the Gaethje right hand as the defining element of his combat repertoire.
For Justin Gaethje, the BMF win was the high-water mark of his post-title-shot career. He lost the belt to Max Holloway at UFC 300 in April 2024 in one of the most dramatic finishes in UFC history — Holloway KO'd him with two seconds left in round five. He retired from active MMA competition in 2025 with a 25-5 career record.
For Dustin Poirier, the loss extended his consecutive-defeat streak to two. He challenged Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 302 in June 2024 (submission R5 loss), before announcing his retirement. He returned briefly in 2025 but has not won a UFC title in his career. His legacy — as one of the most-beloved fan-friendly lightweights of the modern era — has never depended on a title win.
FAQ
What is the BMF belt?
The BMF (Baddest Mother F***er) belt is a symbolic UFC title created at UFC 244 in November 2019 for the Jorge Masvidal vs. Nate Diaz fight. It carries no divisional ranking implications, cannot be formally defended like a championship belt, and is not recognised by athletic commissions as a title. It is the UFC's own marketing creation to celebrate fan-friendly fighters who embody the spirit of entertaining, aggressive MMA. Masvidal won the original; Gaethje won the second iteration at UFC 291; Holloway won it from Gaethje at UFC 300.
Why was the Gaethje right hand so feared?
It is the hardest right hand in the modern lightweight division. Gaethje's right is a compact, timing-based punch that he fires from an orthodox stance with his full body weight behind it — he generates power from a wide stance and a sharp hip rotation. The KO of Poirier at 3:29 of round one, the KO of Tony Ferguson in the reverse application of pressure, and the general pattern of his wins all trace back to this single punch. No lightweight of the modern era has a more one-punch-KO-capable right hand.
Did Gaethje and Poirier fight a third time?
No. The final series ledger is 2-0 Gaethje. Poirier challenged Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 302 (submission R5 loss) and has not returned to action at the level required for another Gaethje fight. The two have not been booked for a third meeting through mid-2025.
How does UFC 291 compare to UFC 290?
UFC 291 drew approximately 600,000 PPV buys versus UFC 290 (650,000) three weeks earlier — a slight 50,000-buy drop. The BMF belt's symbolic status produced strong PPV interest on the strength of the Gaethje-Poirier rematch narrative rather than championship stakes. The Salt Lake City market performed solidly despite the non-title framing of the main event.
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