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via Imago

via Imago

Dustin Poirier was stuck in a no-man’s-land following his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last July. The two went into the much-awaited rematch, this time for the BMF title, after their legendary UFC on FOX 29 bout back in 2018. ‘Diamond’ lost the fight in the second round, and there was a lot of uncertainty over who he might face next.

However, the UFC soon announced he would be fighting #12 ranked Benoit Saint-Denis, a dangerous but unproven opponent, a victory over who could put the #3 ranked Poirier back in the title mix. Discussing the fight, Joe Rogan, on the JRE Fight Companion episode for UFC 297, has issued a warning for ‘The Diamond’.

Joe Rogan smitten with Benoit Saint-Denis

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During the episode, Joe Rogan and his friends got on the topic of Benoit Saint-Denis, the  #12 ranked and highly hyped lightweight prospect, who will take on #3 ranked Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 at the Kaseya Center on March 9, 2024. Rogan was very impressed by the Frenchman’s skills and abilities, heaping praises on him, and expressing his excitement for his Poirier fight.

“I’m telling you, that Benoit Saint-Denis is next level. Bro, he’s got furnaces going in his eyes. You look at that guy’s eyes, there’s hell going on behind those eyes. Yeah, he’s built for it, so him versus Dustin is very exciting,” he said.

The UFC commentator warned Poirier that ‘God of War’ would be a serious challenge for him, as the Frenchman would be looking to make a statement by defeating a top-3 fighter in the division. Rogan was also concerned for the New Orleans native as he suffered a devastating head-kick knockout in his last bout against Justin Gaethje.

“And bro, Dustin better be ready to go. He better be ready to go with that guy because he’s gonna try and make a name off of him… You could [blitz Poirier]. It’s like Michael Johnson KO’d him… So Dustin had been slept before. He’s the elite of the elite but he’s just come off a head-kick knockout to Justin Gaethje. You never know how you recover from those things,” he added. As the fight draws closer, it seems, Saint-Denis is going into the fights as the favorite, at least for the bookmakers.

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Saint-Denis gives muted prediction for UFC 299

Benoit Saint-Davis has won and finished his opponents in all five of his fights in the UFC so far. Surprisingly, the UFC novice is going into his UFC 299 fight in March against Poirier, a moderate betting favorite, despite being ranked nearly ten places below the former interim champion. In a recent interview, the former Special Forces member expressed his surprise that Poirier took the fight against him since he was coming off a loss.

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Speaking on his matchup with Poirier, Saint-Denis felt it would come down to who can impose their style in the fight. “I believe fights of this level are always a matter of style, and who is going to impose his style on the other. If we have a Dustin Poirier kind of fight, it’s going to be a difficult battle, but if you have a Benoit Saint-Denis kind of fight, it will be Poirier who will be in a bad position,” he said.

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