Benoît Saint-Denis claims antibiotics contributed to UFC 299 loss

UFC lightweight contender Benoît Saint-Denis has broken his social media silence after falling short at UFC 299.

"Hello France. Unfortunately tonight I couldn't fully express myself," Saint-Denis said in a post-fight Instagram post. "My body didn't keep up after a week of antibiotics to fight an infection. Sorry to disappoint you, I will come back stronger, thanks to Dustin for accepting this fight. It was impossible for me not to seize the opportunity of such a fight."

The nature of Saint-Denis's infection is uncertain as of this writing. Some fans speculated on social media that he suffered from a staph infection after pre-fight headshots went viral showing an open sore on his forehead.

Benoît Saint-Denis had 1 incredible round before losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299

Saint-Denis lost to Dustin Poirier by second-round knockout in the UFC 299 co-main event. After some early success against Poirier in the first round, Poirier found his timing with his boxing in Round 2, leading to a stunning knockout in the Octagon.

The loss to Poirier snapped a five-fight winning streak for Saint-Denis. This was also his first career loss at lightweight.

Despite the setback, Saint-Denis is taking the loss in stride, although he recently hinted the final stages of his camp were less than ideal.

Saint-Denis defeated the likes of Matt Frevola, Thiago Moisés, and Ismael Bonfim entering UFC 299. His last loss was to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in a welterweight bout at UFC 267.

Poirier got back in the win column after a loss to Justin Gaethje for the vacant BMF title at UFC 291. He could potentially be next in line for a lightweight title shot against Islam Makhachev.

As for Saint-Denis, he'll look to get back on track later in 2024, potentially for the UFC's anticipated return to Paris. He could be one or two wins away from getting back into the lightweight title mix.