MIAMI – Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis wasn’t on many MMA fan’s bingo boards entering 2024, but here it is.
Saturday, the two scrappy lightweights competed in UFC 299‘s five-round co-main event at Kaseya Center. Poirier (29-8 MMA, 21-7 UFC) understands what Saint Denis (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) has to gain in the fight, the opportunity to build off his name. But in Poirier’s eyes, a decisive victory over a surging Saint Denis could bear fruit as well.
“I think a lot of that depends on how I win,” Poirier told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “If it’s a big finish or something like that, I believe I’m a win away from a title shot with a great performance. But it rights the ship. It gets me back in the win column. We take it from there. I try not to look too far past these fights because Saturday isn’t here yet. We’ve got to go out there and do the damn thing. Sunday, we reassess and really see where we’re at and what’s next.”
