UFC 291: Gaethje’s Stunning Win Over Poirier Excites Kamaru Usman

Kamaru Usman could not contain his happiness when teammate, Justin Gaethje, head-kicked Dustin Poirier into oblivion at UFC 291.

Former interim UFC champions, Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier, fought in the UFC 291 pay-per-view (PPV) headliner for the ceremonial BMF title on Saturday night.

This was a rematch of their 2018 fight that Poirier won by a fourth-round TKO. Gaethje emerged victorious in the rematch with a second-round knockout.

Former UFC welterweight champion, Kamaru Usman, is a teammate and a close friend of Justin Gaethje and attended the event by the cage side.

The Nigerian nightmare jumped in ecstasy and screamed in happiness when his teammate sent Poirier crashing to the canvas. Tears welled up in the former champion’s eyes as he felt a sense of pride in Gaethje’s win.

There is nothing more inspiring to see a training camp or a fighter learn from their losses and implement the knowledge gained in future fights. Kamaru Usman was on the verge of becoming the greatest welterweight of all time with a few more wins.

However, a sneaky head kick masked behind a left straight from Leon Edwards cost him the title at UFC 278.

Interestingly enough, Justin Gaethje knocked out Dustin Poirier with a similar technique at UFC 291 to become the BMF champion. Gaethje is not particularly known for his head kicks and most of his stoppage wins have come by punches, head kicks, and slams. So it’s a moral revenge of sorts from Kamaru Usman’s camp in moving forward with learnings.