SUMMARY
- Benoit Saint-Denis revealed that he found out about his fight against Dustin Poirier after Dana White tweeted about it.
- Saint-Denis appreciated the hardwork put into securing the fight by his manager.
Benoit Saint-Denis is gearing up for the biggest UFC fight of his life as he faces Dustin Poirier at UFC 299. In a surprising revelation, Saint-Denis claimed he did not know about the fight until UFC CEO Dana White‘s announcement. The French fighter was proud of the work his manager did to pull off this fight.
Saint-Denis gave his first interview after the big fight announcement to French media outlet RMC Sport. The interview was completely conducted in French. A rough translation provided several insights into the fight from Saint-Denis’ point of view.
The most surprising revelation was how he got to know about the fight. The #12 ranked UFC lightweight claimed that his wife informed him about the fight in the morning when White tweeted about it.
Things are HEATING up in Miami 🔥@DustinPoirier vs @BenoitSt_Denis is going down at #UFC299 pic.twitter.com/8Z9cog13D0
— UFC (@ufc) January 10, 2024
Further, Saint-Denis was extremely appreciative of the work that his team does. He name-checked several people including his trainers and sparring partners claiming they work as hard as him. His manager earned a lot of praise as he worked hard to earn him the best opportunity to create a path to the title.
Saint-Denis began his pro-MMA career in 2019 at the Lions Fighting Championship 8. After amassing an impressive 8-1 record, he got his big UFC break. He made his UFC debut at UFC Fight Night 207 with a win over Niklas Stolze. The 28-year-old is 5-0 in the UFC with his latest win coming at UFC 295 against Matt Frevola.
Upon being asked about his strategy for the Southpaw Poirier, Saint-Denis was reluctant to open his cards. He admitted he would have to make adjustments to his style.
Dustin Poirier reflects on his Benoit Saint-Denis UFC 299 matchup
Poirier had ambitions of fighting at UFC 300. In an interview a few months ago, Poirier claimed he will not be around for UFC 400 so he would love to be a part of UFC 300. However, his wish did not come true as White announced his fight for UFC 299. Along with Poirier vs Saint-Denis, White announced a #1 contender’s match for the UFC Lightweight title at UFC 300 between Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.
He better buy me dinner first..
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) January 8, 2024
It was expected that Poirier would be disappointed. However, he was in a jolly mood on X when he faced a post about his fight against the Frenchman. On one of Poirier’s posts, an account commented “Tic tac he is coming and he’s going to put it in you very deep.”
Poirier showed no offense, rather, he replied to it hilariously. ‘Diamond’ wrote, “He better buy me dinner first..”
Poirier will face Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in a five-round co-main event. UFC 299 will take place on March 9, 2024, at the at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.