Saint-Denis vs Poirier bout candidate for UFC 299 'Fight of the Night'

MANILA, Philippines – The co-main event of UFC 299 on Sunday, March 10, at the Kaseya Center in Miami in the US finds up-and-coming French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis against Dustin Poirier.

It has been over seven months since Poirier (29-8-0, 1 no contest) was knocked out by Justin Gaethje in UFC 291 for the symbolic “BMF” title that Jorge Masvidal relinquished after he retired from the game.

Poirier will not have it easy on former French Special Forces veteran Saint-Denis (13-1-0, 1 NC), who is in the midst of a five-match win streak.

Saint-Denis lost in his controversial UFC debut in October of 2021 to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, who struck the Frenchman in the groin in the third round.

“I fought in the welterweight division then and I did not have a full training camp,” related Saint-Denis. “It is what it is.”

“Once I moved to my more natural lightweight class, I did better.”

Better is an understatement. Saint-Denis mowed down the opposition with none of the fights going the distance. If he wants to step up and move closer to a title shot, he needs a win or three.

First things first. Poirier.

“This is going to be a war,” he noted. “It is easy to say that, of course, but Dustin would like to redeem himself (after his recent loss). And that is a huge motivator.”

“One of the biggest things I learned in the military is discipline. You learn to put in the work day in and out, and you never underestimate an adversary.”

Pre-fight analysts also state that the Saint-Denis-Poirier bout is a candidate for Fight of the Night.

Aside from Saint-Denis, other French fighters currently in the UFC include heavyweight Cyril Gane, Morgan Charriere and flyweight Manon Fiorot to name a few.

UFC 299 finds Sean O’Malley defending his UFC bantamweight belt in a rematch against the only man to give him a loss on his record, the dangerous Marlon "Chito" Vera, in the main event. 

The card will be televised live on the Premier Sports channel on Sky Cable and Cignal as well as the streaming application Blast TV. The early prelims begin at 7 a.m., the prelims at 9 a.m. and the main card at 11 a.m.