Going into his 30th career UFC fight, Dustin Poirier is excited for the opportunity to test himself against a young and hungry finisher.
On Saturday, March 9, ‘The Diamond’ will return to the Octagon for a showdown with streaking lightweight standout Benoit Saint-Denis. The pairing was an undeniably surprising one given Poirier’s position as the No. 4 ranked contender versus Saint-Denis who currently resides outside of the top 10. Still, fans were nonetheless excited to see a fresh matchup in a division that has seen its top dogs round-robin one another in recent years.
Speaking with TMZ Sports as fight week approaches, Dustin Poirier offered some insight into why he accepted the fight with Saint-Denis.
“(I’m fighting him) to test myself really – to see if I’ve still got it,” Poirier said. “This guy is young, hungry, on a streak, finished his last five opponents – that makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire. That’s where I feel like I do my best work, and those are the kinds of fighters I want to fight – guys who are leaving it all out there, and showing grit. They fight for finishes. That’s the kind of fight I want to be involved in.”
The ‘God of War’ has dispatched his last five opponents, decisively, scoring submission victories over Niklas Stolze and Ismael Bonfim while adding highlight-reel knockouts against Gabriel Miranda, Thiago Moises, and Matt Frevola.
Dustin Poirier Says Every Fight Could Be His Last
Poirier, on the other hand, is looking to bounce back after suffering a second-round KO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 over the summer. ‘The Diamond’ has lost two of his last three, but was on a three-fight win streak before that, including back-to-back wins against Irish megastar Conor McGregor.
With Dustin Poirier entering his 15th year as a professional fighter, the longtime fan favorite recognizes that every fight — including his UFC 299 scrap with Saint-Denis — could very well be his last.
“Every fight could be it – every fight,” Poirier said. “Where I’m at, 35 years old, this is my 30th fight in the UFC – every fight could be it.”
UFC 299 will emanate from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on March 9 and is scheduled to be headlined by a bantamweight title showdown between reigning and defending champion ‘Sugar’ Sean O’Malley and the only man to have handed him a loss in his UFC career thus far, Marlon ‘Chito’ Vera.
Dustin Poirier was asked if his fight against Benoit Saint-Denis could be his last fight.
“Every fight could be [my last]. Where I’m at, 35 years old. This is my 30th fight in the UFC. Every fight could be it.”
🎥 @TMZ_Sports #UFC299 #MMA pic.twitter.com/6Utsoywjlk
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) February 29, 2024
