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 later submitted Michael Chandler, but fell short in a title fight opportunity to Charles Oliveira.

Now the 34-year-old former interim champion attempts 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 takes 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.