Dustin Poirier is taking a rare — but dangerous — step back in the rankings for his next time out.
The upcoming pay-per-view (PPV) line up for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is arguably the best seen in years. The road to UFC 300 is paved with gold and directly before it will be UFC 299 in Miami, Florida on March 9, 2024. In the co-main event, one-time interim Lightweight champion, Poirier, looks to rebound against the surging No. 11-ranked contender, Benoit Saint-Denis, in a five-round affair.
France’s Saint-Denis (13-1, 1 no contest) has been flawless as a Lightweight and rides an impressive, and violent, five-fight winning streak that consists of three knockouts and two submissions. Poirier is easily the biggest fight of Saint-Denis’ young career, but the oddsmakers and now longtime UFC commentator, Joe Rogan, believe “The Diamond” will have his work cut out for him.
“That’s the big fight,” Rogan said on The Joe Rogan Experience. “That Saint-Denis guy is a f—king killer. He’s such a killer. That guy is such a scary guy.
“He is good at everything. I’m telling you, that Benoit Saint-Denis is next level,” he continued. “He’s got furnaces going on in his eyes. You look into that guy’s eyes, there’s hell going on behind those eyes. He’s built for it. So, him vs. Dustin is very exciting, and Dustin better be ready to go. He’s gonna be trying to make a name.”
Saint-Denis will be Poirier’s 39th fight (29-8, 1 no contest) in his thrilling career. The Louisiana native has never lost back-to-back fights despite his large sample size of experience in contrast to his opponent.
Poirier last fought in a rematch for the Baddest Motherf—ker (BMF) title opposite Justin Gaethje in UFC 291’s main event this past July 2023. Unfortunately for Poirier, Gaethje enacted revenge on his rival with a second round head kick knockout (watch highlights).
This story originally appeared on MMA Mania
