According to former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier, his scheduled fight with the surging Benoît Saint-Denis won’t be happening at UFC 299.
The promotion is heading toward an exciting period of fights, with a number of intriguing matchups slated for the upcoming pay-per-views in Anaheim, Miami, and Las Vegas.
As is often the case in the fight game, though, the cards will likely take some hits. For UFC 298, that saw Tatiana Suarez withdraw through injury. Now, the mixed martial arts Gods have seemingly taken away one of the most anticipated showdowns slated for next month’s event at the Kaseya Center.
In a co-main event that had entertainment written all over it, Poirier was planning on doing battle with rising Frenchman Saint-Denis, who was being afforded a chance to leap straight into the top five of the division.
Unfortunately, it appears that the pairing won’t be present inside the cage on March 9, as revealed by “The Diamond” himself on social media this week.
“My fights off but still working”
Saint-Denis’ Camp Responds To Dustin Poirier’s Cancellation Claim
With Poirier sharing an image of himself training while claiming to still be “working,” many expected to hear news of an injury withdrawal from Saint-Denis. As it turns out, though, that is not the case.
Soon after the Louisianan’s tweet, Saint-Denis’ camp told CBS Sports’ Shakiel Mahjouri that their man is still expecting to be fighting on the UFC 299 card.
Given that Poirier appears to still be in training and his French counterpart still gearing up to compete on March 9, the mixed martial arts community was left in a state of confusion.
“God of War” later confirmed his status for the event himself, insisting that he’s still counting down the days until UFC 299. He didn’t, however, mention Poirier or an alternative opponent.
“Guys, stay calm, stay focused. I count the days until @ufc 299,” Saint-Denis wrote, translated from French.
Via ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Poirier later shed light on his post, revealing that no contractual agreement was in place prior to the UFC’s decision to announce the fight. He noted that they were since unable to come to terms with the organization.