Dustin Poirier might be looking at a very dangerous situation in his next fight. The New Orleans native will face #12-ranked lightweight prospect Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 on March 9 in a five-round co-main event bout. Coming into the fight after a devastating head-kick KO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 291 last year, he is facing a younger, hungrier, and more dangerous Saint-Denis.

A loss against the Frenchman will certainly be a significant setback to his standings in the 155-pound division (he is currently ranked #3) and knock him out of the title mix for the time being. A victory, on the other hand, will help him cement his place at the top of the division. Poirier explained his reaction to being offered the fight in an interview with Ariel Helwani on the latter’s MMA Hour show on YouTube.

Dustin Poirier was not expecting BSD to be his next opponent

On being asked what his initial reaction was to facing Saint-Denis, Poirier admitted that he was initially surprised. ‘Diamond’ told Ariel Helwani that he was expecting a bigger name like #11-ranked Rafael Dos Anjos.

“I was surprised. I thought it was going to be a more well-known fighter because, in my head, I was like, maybe a legacy fight, maybe RDA, maybe another former champ. I don’t know; I thought the offer I’d get from the UFC would be something more like that,” Poirier told the journalist.

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The 28-year-old clarified that the prospect of facing the promising and younger Saint-Denis, who is on a five-fight KO streak, was motivating and driving him to work hard. Poirier felt that he was given a shot by the top guys when he was an up-and-coming star and felt it was time he returned the favor and gave the former special forces member a shot.

“But like you said, I need something to get me up in the morning. And I respect this sport, and I honor this sport, and I’m 35 years old now, you know. This guy’s a young, hungry lion who’s on a streak. I think he finished five fights in a row, and somebody gave me my shot, you know, to crack in. So I respect the game, and that’s what I’m doing, you know. Let’s see. March 9th, buy the pay-per-view,” the former interim champion added.

The bout is expected to be a tough one for Poirier, as even the bookmakers have the Frenchman as the favorite to win their contest.

Saint-Denis opens as a favorite against Poirier

Benoit Saint-Denis has made an impact in only two years over his five fights in the UFC. None of the 28-year-old’s opponents have made it past the second round, having knocked out three and submitted two of them, showing his versatility. Poirier, on the other hand, is coming off two losses in his last three fights.

It is important to remember that ‘Diamond’ has lost to the top five guys, who are considered the best in the lightweight division, while Saint-Denis has yet to fight anyone in the top five.

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While the Frenchman has opened as the betting favorite, it is important to remember the discrepancy in opponents both have been fighting. While Poirier may not be the best fighter in the lightweight division, he is certainly among the top 5, and it would take something special from Saint-Denis to defeat ‘Diamond.’

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