Dustin Poirier says UFC 299 fight with Benoit Saint-Denis is off
- Dustin Poirier is not fighting Benoit Saint-Denis anymore
- Saint-Denis may still remain on the card
- They were supposed to fight at UFC 299 in March
By Amy Kaplan
Dustin Poirier has announced that his UFC 299 scrap with Benoit Saint-Denis is off.
The former UFC interim lightweight champion made the announcement on Instagram and Twitter.
"My fights off but still working," he tweeted on Feb. 1.
The fight was originally slated for a five-rounder co-main event of UFC 299 set for Miami in March. He was looking to rebound from his knockout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291.
Saint-Denis is an exciting prospect and the fans were eager to see if Poirier could survive the young fighters stamina or if experience would ultimately be enough.
Saint-Denis was looking to break into the top 10 rankings with a win over a big name in his division. He's on a five fight win streak with wins over Ismael Bonfim, Thiago Moises and Matt Frevola most recently. He shot into the hearts of fans with his nasty first-round bruatl head-kick knockout at UFC 295.
It appears as though Saint-Denis may remain on the card, according to his most recent tweet.
"Guys, stay calm, stay focused," he wrote in French (transcribed by Goggle Translate). "I count the days until 299."
No reason for the change has been revealed and, at press time, the UFC has not confirmed any change to the UFC 299 line-up.
This is a developing story and will be updated when more details are revealed.