Benoit Saint Denis claims he was not at 100 percent when he stepped in the octagon against Dustin Poirier in the UFC 299 co-main event.
After putting together a five-fight stoppage streak in the lightweight division, Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) got a massive step up in a matchup with former interim champ Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) on Saturday at Kaseya Center in Miami.
Benoit Saint Denis came out on fire, putting pressure on Poirier with his striking and grappling to win the first round. He tried to maintain that in the second frame, but Poirier got his dangerous boxing off and scored a brutal knockout to conclude the Fight of the Night on the card.
It was somewhat puzzling in the moment that Benoit Saint Denis put on such a relentless pace in a fight scheduled for five rounds. However, he said that’s the only strategy he could attempt to execute, because antibiotics in the lead-up to the fight sapped his energy.
“Unfortunately this evening I was not able to fully express myself,” Saint Denis wrote on Instagram. “My body didn’t keep up after a week of antibiotics to fight an infection. Throughout I was present but my body absent, it did not react as usual. I only had one round to give you.
Sorry to have disappointed you, I will come back stronger, thanks to Dustin for accepting this fight. It was impossible for me not to seize the opportunity of such a fight.”
Benoit Saint Denis, 28, did not disclose the exact reason why he was on antibiotics and what was wrong with him.
Ultimately, he could not get the job done, and succumbed to the first stoppage loss of his career against the future UFC Hall of Fame inductee Poirier.