UFC 299 is one of the most stacked mixed martial arts (MMA) events in recent memory.
One of the big reasons for the card’s status is the highly anticipated five-round Lightweight non-title match up between one-time interim champion, Dustin Poirier, and rising contender, Benoit Saint Denis. However, the community was hit with a scare last week when Poirier tweeted that the fight was off.
Thankfully, it was just a false alarm (at least on a surface level). Poirier returned a matter of hours later to inform the world he “jumped the gun” and that everything is good to go in Miami, Florida next month (Sat., March 9, 2024).
“There was some miscommunication. Not everybody was on the same page,” Poirier said on The MMA Hour. “I couldn’t get ahold of somebody and things got a little bit confusing for me and I was waiting to hear something, but it is what it is. Fight’s on. I feel great [about where everything’s at].”
As great as UFC 299 is with Poirier vs. Saint Denis’ expected bloodbath, that was never the original hope on UFC’s end. “The Diamond” revealed that he ultimately decided to stay off the historic UFC 300 event that takes place the following month (Sat., April 13, 2024) in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“They offered me this fight for 300,” Poirier revealed. “I was talking with [UFC CBO] Hunter [Campbell] and we were like maybe the opening of the pay-per-view (PPV). Maybe the second fight. Then 299 we started talking about and to be the co-main event, I’m like, that’s a much bigger slot. It’s close to my training camp, close to home. From New Orleans straight to Fort Lauderdale or to Miami is easy to do for people.
“I wanted to be part of 300, but this just made more sense, I think,” he concluded. “This card (299) is stacked for sure, man.”
A win for Poirier would get him back in the win column after a tough second round knockout (head kick) loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 in July 2023 (watch highlights). Meanwhile, Saint Denis can secure a spot in the division’s Top 5 if he can extend his winning streak to six.
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
