Benoit Saint-Denis has explained why he failed to perform up to the mark against Dustin Poirier at UFC 299.
Saint-Denis and Poirier went to war at UFC 299, where both men traded blows and submission attempts in the first round. Round two was a fiery battle of will and skill as well, with ‘The Diamond’ having the last laugh with a devastating right hook that sent the Frenchman to the shadow realm.
‘God of War’ went on Instagram after getting knocked out by Poirier and claimed that he’d been taking antibiotics for an infection before the fight, which is why his body didn’t perform like it normally does during fights.
“Unfortunately this evening, I was not able to fully express myself,” Saint-Denis wrote on Instagram. “My body didn’t respond after a week of antibiotics to fight an infection. Throughout I was present, but my body was absent, it did not react as usual. I only had one round to give you. Sorry to have disappointed you. I will come back stronger, thanks to Dustin for accepting this fight. It was impossible for me not to seize the opportunity of such a fight. Thanks everyone for the support. Thanks to my team and my family.”
Saint-Denis, who was riding a five-fight winning streak before his loss, will now have to work his way back up, whereas Poirier is being guaranteed a title shot by Islam Makhachev’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, who claimed that his client wants to fight in June.
Does Dustin Poirier deserve a title shot?
