Dustin Poirier’s bad night at the office got worse when referee Herb Dean tried to save him from Justin Gaehtje.
‘The Diamond’ hoped to win Jorge Masvidal’s old BMF belt and secure a lightweight title shot at UFC 291 on Saturday night, but he ended up getting knocked out.
Poirier was cracked with a head kick in the second round that put him to sleep and triggered wild celebrations from his opponent who backflipped off the Octagon.
However, Gaethje first landed a follow-up punch and began winding up another before Dean came charging in to stop Conor McGregor’s long-time rival from taking unnecessary damage.
Despite having the best intentions, the veteran referee may have done more harm than good as he slipped while running to break up the fight and landed on Poirier’s chest.
Dean was soon being mocked by MMA fans who raced to social media to make the same joke about Poirier being hit with The Rock’s signature move.
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One person tweeted: "People’s Elbow by Herb Dean."
Another wrote: "Herb Dean hit the people's elbow on Dustin Poirier."
And a third watcher said: “Herb Dean doing his best Rock.”
One remarked: “Herb Dean didn’t think there was enough damage with the headkick to DP so drops a Quick peoples elbow on the sly to keep the Rock relevant.”
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Poirier quickly recovered from being hit with a head kick and one of the WWE’s most famous finishers to send a congratulatory message to his rival.
“Incredible Justin Gaethje beautiful set up,” he tweeted.
The 34-year-old is yet to address Dean’s botched stoppage and was more interested in reflecting on what was a painful defeat against a man he knocked out in 2018.
"Naturally, I had one hand up from years of training, but the foot got around good, I just didn’t see it," Poirier said post-fight at UFC 291.
"I just did a nine-week camp in South Florida, pushed myself every day, and had the easiest weight cut of my life.
“I busted my a***, that’s why losing sucks because you do all this work and nothing is guaranteed.”
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