Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis set for five round co main event at UFC 299

Dustin Poirier makes his long awaited return to action when he clashes with rising star Benoit Saint Denis in the five round co main event at UFC 299 on March 9 from Miami. UFC CEO Dana White announced the pairing on Sunday night while revealing that both fighters asked for a five round fight so he granted their request.

Poirier makes his first appearance since suffering a head kick knockout loss to Justin Gaethje this past July, which put him at 4 2 overall in his past six fights. Of course, Poirier scored a pair of wins over Conor McGregor in 2021 and submitting Michael Chandler but falling in a title fight opportunity to Charles Oliveira .

Now the 34 year old former interim champion will attempt to get back on track while facing one of the top prospects in the entire 155 pound division. Following a loss in his octagon debut back in 2021, Saint Denis has gone undefeated with five straight wins without a single opponent making it past the second round.

Most recently, Saint Denis vanquished Matt Frevola with a vicious head kick knockout at UFC 295 , which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus. Now Saint Denis will take a decided step up in competition while facing one of the most established veterans in the lightweight division. Poirier vs. Saint Denis serves as the co main event with bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defending his title against Marlon “Chito” Vera in the headliner in March..