Dustin Poirier will clearly take a big risk when he fights Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299.
Dustin Poirier admits he was surprised when he got offered to fight Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299.
After Poirier was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in a fight for the promotion’s BMF belt, ‘The Diamond’ wasn’t sure what would be next for him. He said he needed a fight that would get him out of bed in the morning, and he thought Rafael dos Anjos or another former champion made sense.
During the aforementioned appearance, ‘The Diamond’ opened up about why he accepted a fight against an opponent ranked outside the top 10 rather than another big name. He mentioned that he was once given the same opportunity to crack the rankings and is returning the favor for a younger fighter in ‘God of War’. He said:
“I was surprised, I thought it was going to be a more well-known fighter, cause in my head, maybe a legacy fight, maybe RDA, maybe a former champion,” Dustin Poirier said on The MMA Hour.
“I don’t know, just something, I thought the offer that I would get from the UFC would be more like that. But, like you said, I needed something to get me up in the morning, and I respect this sport, and I honor this sport. I’m 35 years old now, this guy’s a young, hungry lion who’s on a streak, I think he’s finished five fights in a row. Somebody gave me my shot to crack in, so I respect the game and that is what I’m doing. March 9, buy the pay-per-view, let’s find out. You know the meme with the dog looking in the mirror, me checking to see if I still have that dog in me. Five rounds, March 9.”
The fight coming together was a bit of a surprise, but it is a scrap that many fans are eagerly looking forward to. But, as Dustin Poirier says, he wanted to give someone else a chance to crack into the top five, just like someone gave him the chance years ago.
Heading into the fight, Dustin Poirier is the betting underdog as he’s +114 while Benoit Saint-Denis is -135. At +114, oddsmakers imply Poirier has a 46.7% chance of winning the bout.
Dustin Poirier (29-8 and one No Contest) is coming off the knockout loss to Justin Gaethje for the BMF belt. Before that, he scored a submission win over Michael Chandler after suffering a submission loss to Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title. In his career, he holds notable wins over Conor McGregor, twice, Dan Hooker, Max Holloway, Justin Gaethje, and Eddie Alvarez.