Dustin Poirier viciously defeated Saint-Denis before having a lengthy conversation with Trump

DUSTIN POIRIER proved there is still life in the old dog with a brutal stoppage of Benoit Saint-Denis.

The former interim lightweight champion returned to action on Saturday night against the rising Frenchman on a stacked UFC 299 card Miami.

Dustin Poirier faced Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 299Credit: Getty

Saint-Denis was ruthless with his pressure from the startCredit: GETTY

The Frenchman landed several nasty elbows in the Thai clinchCredit: GETTY

MMA fans around the world were concerned about ‘The Diamond’ when the fight was announced after he suffered a nasty injury loss to Justin Gaethje last July.

But those concerns proved misplaced when he stopped the former Frenchmen army man in the second round of their Miami fight.

Saint-Denis immediately took the center of the octagon, where they exchanged hard leg kicks near the doors.

It didn’t take long for BDS to shoot for a takedown, which Poirier defended with a guillotine choke attempt.

The Frenchman remained calm and managed to roll out of position before taking the back of the fan favourite.

Poirier managed to shake off BDS, but ate two hard shots before circling away from the fence.

Saint-Denis refused to slow his pace, walking Poirier down and landing knees and elbows in the Thai clinch.

Saint-Denis shot for another takedown attempt with a minute and a half left, but found himself in the middle of another guillotine attempt, which he defended.

Dustin Poirier wobbled Benoit Saint-Denis with a vicious straight left in the second roundCredit: GETTY

The Diamond dropped Saint-Denis with a nasty right hookCredit: Getty

He managed to maintain his dominant position and eventually took the back of Poirier, who fended off a nasty looking armbar with seconds of the stanza left.

Poirier once again allowed Saint-Denis to dictate the pace of the opening stages of the second stanza, but dropped the former Army man with a short uppercut.

Saint-Denis shot for a takedown, which Poirier again defended with another guillotine attempt.

Saint-Denis escaped the bad position and had almost a minute of dominance before Poirier managed to get back on his feet.

BDS continued to come forward and found himself wobbled by a big, straight left hand.

Poirier felt blood and followed up with another hellish right that dropped the Bayonne bruiser, who fell to the canvas.

And he closed the show with an academic right that prompted referee Dan Miragliotta to halt proceedings.