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.
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.