Dustin Poirier has a habit of starting slow and finishing strong.
He did nothing to change that notion on Wednesday. Poirier and Akira Corissani engaged in a thrilling first-round brawl at the TUF Nations Finale in Quebec City before Poirier put him away early in the second. The featherweight bout was stopped at 42 seconds of the round.
Poirier waded right into several big shots by the Renzo Gracie-trained Corassani early in the first round. Corassani never really pounced on his opening, and Poirier shook off the cobwebs and got back into the fight. But the final minute of the round, Poirier manuevered Corassani into a Peruvian necktie and nearly got the finish.
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“Not sure what he hit me with, but he hit me with something,” said Poirier (16-3), who recorded his eighth UFC win. “I thought he was going to try to come in for the kill, but he didn’t press too hard and I got back into it.”
Corassani got out of that one, but he had no response when Poirier cracked him with a huge right uppercut to the jaw early in round two. Corasssani hit the mat and Poirier swarmed him for the finish.
“The uppercut looked like it landed right on his nose,” Poirier said. “You could tell he really wasn’t that rocked, he went down and I did my job.”
Poirier has won three in a row and four of his past five. Corassani (12-4, 1 NC) had a three-fight win streak snapped.