For former interim champion Dustin Poirier, he knew taking on Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 299 could backfire.
It didn’t.
Poirier overcame the prospect, scoring a second round finish in the co-main event from Miami, Florida Saturday night. The main card aired live on ESPN+ pay-per-view.
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For the 35-year-old Poirier, it was an opportunity to give back to MMA.
“I watched his fights and I thought I got to take this fight to honor this game,” Poirier said. “Eddie Alvarez gave me my shot and I had to pay it back.
“Either hold the position or lose it.”
Poirier was referencing his 2018 bout with Alvarez that earned him a “Fight of the Night” and shot at the interim lightweight title. He would defeat Max Holloway a year later for that belt before losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in a unification match.
Since that time, “The Diamond” has twice finished Conor McGregor while going 3-2 in his other five bouts.
Dustin Poirier Took Fight Because ‘He Was Dangerous’
Poirier scouted Saint Denis and knew what he was getting into.
“I took this fight because he finished his last five opponents,” Poirier said. “He might not be a household name, but he is on his way up and is dangerous.
“He has a never-say-die attitude.”
Saint Denis, a 28-year-old from France, was coming off a head-kick knockout of Matt Frevola. He had won five straight since suffering a 2021 decision loss to Elizeu Zaleski does Santos in his UFC debut.
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“I was getting beat up a little bit,” Poirier said. “I got him at the end. He was pretty strong.”
With the win, Poirier is now tied for fourth on the UFC’s career victories list and is fourth in finishes in promotion history.
