Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier will face Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 299, set for March 9th at the Kaseya Center in Miami Florida.
UFC CEO Dana White took to social media to break the news in which he also revealed that the pair requested the contest to be fought over five rounds, a wish the UFC granted. You would have to go back to 2021 and 2020 to find the last time Saint-Denis and Poirier went to a decision, respectively.
Poirier enters the bout on the back of his loss in his BMF bout against Justin Gaethje at UFC 291. After an active 2021, competing three times and collecting two wins over Conor McGregor in the process, the last couple of years have been at a much more relaxed pace. Although only competing twice in the last two years, the Louisiana man delivered two exhilarating contests, with a second round submission victory over Michael Chandler and then the Gaethje rematch. 
After a loss to Ellzeu Zaleski in his UFC debut in 2021, Saint-Denis has went on an incredible run. ‘God Of War’ competed five times throughout 2022 and 2023, winning all five contests and stopping his opponents in every bout. Last time out, Saint-Denis faced his biggest task to date against Matt Frevola at UFC 296. However, the Frenchman showed just how ready he is to compete at the very top of the sport adding yet another highlight reel finish to his resume with a devasting head kick finish in the first round.
UFC 299 is shaping up to be a mammoth card, with Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera headlining the fight night, Gilbert Burns vs Jack Della Maddalena and Curtis Blaydes vs Jailton Almeida all set to compete. The card will see the highly anticipated promotional debut of Michael ‘Venom’ Page when he takes on Kevin Holland in a Welterweight clash.
