Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad react to viral meme on Dustin Poirier's guillotine attempts during Benoit Saint Denis fight

Kamaru Usman and Belal Muhammad recently reacted to the viral meme that came from Dustin Poirier's repeated guillotine attempts in his clash against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299.

'The Diamond' secured a second-round knockout against Saint Denis in the co-main event of the third pay-per-view of 2024, hosted at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, last Saturday.

From the moment the opening bell chimed, 'God of War' burst into action with relentless determination to overpower Poirier. Amidst the back-and-forth brawl of their brief two-round fight, a significant portion of the bout unfolded on the canvas.

The Frenchman displayed aggression with his striking, alongside his diverse attempts at grappling maneuvers. However, one standout moment of their clash was undeniably Poirier's persistent pursuit of guillotine choke attempts, none of which materialized into a successful submission.

Although his head coach advised him between rounds to refrain from further submission attempts, 'The Diamond' persisted and attempted one more guillotine choke in the second round. His keenness to execute the submission has attracted widespread attention from the MMA community, resulting in the creation of a viral meme.

ESPN MMA recently shared a meme on Instagram featuring Poirier's face superimposed onto the famous 'Distracted Boyfriend' template, humorously illustrating his multiple submission attempts at UFC 299.

Check out the meme below:

The post sparked a variety of responses from fans, with longtime welterweight champion Usman and No. 2 ranked 170-pounder Muhammad both reacting with emojis in the comment section.

Check out the comments below:

Credits: @espnmma on Instagram

After connecting with a punch early in the second round, Poirier quickly shifted away from the submission tactic as a precisely timed counter left-hand staggered 'God of War.' Following this, the American unleashed a series of good strikes until a powerful right hook landed on Saint Denis' chin, causing him to collapse.

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Dustin Poirier admits to being impressed by Benoit Saint Denis' round one display

Dustin Poirier recently admitted to feeling unsettled by Benoit Saint Denis and the challenges he posed in the opening round of their bout.

During his recent interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, 'The Diamond' stated:

"I was surprised at how much success he was having in the first round. He was riding me off, you know... I was like, sh*t!."

Poirier additionally claimed that 'God of War' didn't secure any takedowns and instead, he voluntarily initiated ground exchanges to attempt submissions himself:

"But I'll never stop jumping guillotines. He never took me down rather, I took me down, like five times."

Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below (8:20):