Justin Gaethje knocks out Dustin Poirier in second round at UFC 291

Update - Gaethje landed a nasty head kick to knock out Poirier in the second round.

UFC 291 is here.

The highly anticipated PPV is set for Saturday, July 29, from the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The 12-bout card will be headlined by a lightweight bout between No. 2 Dustin Poirier and No. 3 Justin Gaethje. The main card will get started at 10 p.m. ET and be available for streaming on ESPN+.

Poirier (29-7-0, 1 NC) is 4-1 in his last five bouts, and looking to pick up his second win in a row. The former lightweight champ is looking for another title opportunity, which could come in the next couple of bouts. He won the interim title in 2019 but would lose it his next time out and then lose his next opportunity in 2021 against Charles Oliveria. Poirier has been working to get back to this point and is on the cusp of getting atop of the lightweight division again.

Gaethje (24-4) is 3-2 in his last five bouts, looking to add another win and work towards another title opportunity. He held the lightweight title in 2020 after defeating Tony Ferguson via fifth-round KO. He would go on to lose the title his next time out against Khabib Nurmagomedov. That was the last time he had a title opportunity, but he is inching closer to getting that opportunity once again.

Poirier is favored to win in this bout with -150 odds at DraftKings Sportsbook.

We’ll be providing live updates throughout the fight with round-by-round scoring until a winner is determined.

Dustin Poirier vs. Justin Gaethje round-by-round results

Round 1 — Gaethje

To nobody’s surprise, the first round was exciting and well-balanced. Gaethje landed more shots and had Poirier on the defensive. However, Gaethje does have a cut over his left eye.

Round 2 — TBD

Round 3 — TBD