MMA Twitter goes berserk as Dustin Poirier flattens Benoît Saint-Denis at UFC 299 (VIDEO)

Dustin Poirier brought the hype train behind Benoît Saint-Denis to a stunning halt at UFC 299.

Poirier and Saint-Denis lived up to the immense pre-fight hype in the first round. Both fighters had plenty of success on the feet in what was a frantic, ferociously paced first five minutes.

Poirier initially appeared to fatigue and slow down substantially at the beginning of Round 2. But, he found his rhythm with his boxing, avoiding a forward-pushing Saint-Denis.

Midway through Round 2, Poirier caught Saint-Denis with a left hand that knocked him down. After Saint-Denis worked out of a Poirier guillotine attempt, Poirier finished the right with a massive right hand that collapsed his opponent.

Dustin Poirier shuts down Benoît Saint Denis's meteoric rise

Here's what UFC fighters and personalities had to say about Poirier's UFC 299 knockout win.

Poirier got back in the win column after a head-kick knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. The loss came after a submission victory against Michael Chandler at UFC 281.

Poirier remains one of the top lightweights in the UFC, despite recent hints at a looming retirement. He could potentially be next in line for a lightweight title shot with another win against a top contender.

As for Saint Denis, this was his first UFC lightweight loss after recent finishes of Ismael Bonfim and Matt Frevola. His last UFC loss came at UFC 267 in a welterweight bout against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.

Saint Denis had plenty of success against Poirier before the knockout blows. He'll likely remain a key factor in the lightweight division for the foreseeable future.

Poirier's win was his first by TKO/KO since his trilogy fight against Conor McGregor at UFC 264. He also knocked out McGregor at UFC 257 after a 'Fight of the Year' contender against Dan Hooker in 2020.

Poirier will likely face another top lightweight for his next UFC outing; and if his performance against Saint Denis is any indication, he isn't hanging up the gloves yet.

Check out the rest of the live results and highlights from an eventful UFC 299 here.