Dustin Poirier can't come to terms to fight Benoit Saint-Denis

Dustin Poirier can’t come to terms to fight Benoit Saint-Denis،

Brett Okamoto, ESPN editorFebruary 1, 2024, 6:18 p.m.
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- MMA columnist for ESPN.com
- Analyst for “MMA Live”
- MMA covered for Las Vegas Sun

UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier says he will no longer fight Benoit Saint-Denis after failing to find financial terms for the fight with the UFC.

Poirier (29-8) was scheduled to face Saint-Denis (13-1), a rising contender in the lightweight division, at UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami. UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight earlier this month. Poirier was scheduled to be the co-main event, part of a bantamweight title fight between Sean O'Malley and Marlon Vera.

Poirier revealed on social media on Thursday that his fight with Saint-Denis was “over”. In a later statement to ESPN, he explained why he would not participate in the fight.

“There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn't come to an agreement,” Poirier told ESPN via text message.

The UFC has yet to comment on Poirier's position.

Poirier, 35, has not fought since suffering a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in a BMF title fight in July. He is coming off the most high-profile stretch of his career, a three-year run that included two fights against Conor McGregor, a title fight against Charles Oliveira, a fan-favorite bout with Michael Chandler and the BMF fight.

Saint-Denis, 28, is currently on a five-fight winning streak.