Dustin Poirier witnessed Benoit Saint-Denis’s impressive head kick knockout of Matt Frevola at UFC 295 last November while sitting cageside. However, at that moment, Poirier didn’t see himself on a collision course with Saint-Denis.
Reflecting on the experience on “The MMA Hour” on Monday, Poirier admitted, “In my head, I was sitting there in the chair cageside like, ‘No way that’s happening. This guy has some work to do.'”
But now, just four months later, Dustin Poirier finds himself lined up for a highly anticipated showdown with Saint-Denis at UFC 299 in Miami on March 9, scheduled for five rounds. This development surprised many fans, as Poirier had previously expressed his desire to only return to the octagon for fights against household names or bouts with significant meaning.
So, what prompted this change of heart?
“In my head, I was kind of like, ‘Maybe a legacy fight. Maybe an RDA. Maybe another former champion. I don’t know, just something,'” Poirier explained. “I thought the offer in the UFC would be something more like that, I needed something to get me up in the morning.”
Acknowledging Saint-Denis’s impressive streak, Poirier emphasized his respect for the sport and his opponent’s skills. He noted that Saint-Denis had finished five fights in a row and saw the bout as an opportunity to test himself once more in the octagon.
While the fight isn’t for a title and isn’t headlining the event, Poirier requested that it be scheduled for five rounds—a request that was granted.
“You know that meme with the dog looking in the mirror and he’s like me checking if I still got that dog in me,” Poirier humorously remarked. “Five rounds, March 9. … I told them, ‘I’ll fight the guy but let’s do it five rounds.'”
Poirier believes that over five rounds, the better fighter typically emerges victorious, and he’s eager to put his skills to the test once again.
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