Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has admitted nerves are setting to set him for him ahead of his return to the Octagon against the highly-touted, Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 this weekend – claiming a potential retirement for him come could in the not too distant future.
Poirier, a former interim lightweight titleholder and the current number three ranked divisional contender, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 291 back in July of last year, suffering a devastating loss to two-time foe, Justin Gaethje.
Competing for the symbolic BMF title, Poirier dropped a stunning second round high-kick KO loss to his fellow former interim champion – in what came as just his second knockout loss since his lightweight divisional move back in 2015.
Dustin Poirier admits nerves ahead of UFC 299
Co-headlining the above-mentioned Nimes native, Saint-Denis in a five round clash this weekend in Miami, Florida, American Top Team staple, Poirier admitted that nerves are starting to settle in ahead of his ‘Sunshine State’ comeback – claiming he’s fighting to see if he still has “it”.
“[I’m fighting Benoit Saint-Denis] to test myself really – to see if I’ve still got it,” Dustin Poirier told TMZ Sports ahead of UFC 299. “This guy is young, hungry, on a streak, finished his last five opponents – that makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire.”
“That’s where I feel like I do my best work, and thoses are the kinds of fighters I want to fight – guys who are leaving it all out there, showing grit – they fight for finishes. That’s the kind of fight I want to be involved in. Every fight could be ‘it’ – every fight. Where I’m at, 35 years old, this is my thirtieth fight in the UFC – every fight could be it.”
Who wins at UFC 299 this weekend: Dustin Poirier or Benoit Saint-Denis?