Benoit Saint-Denis has admitted that a pre-fight illness wasn’t the only reason behind his brutal setback against Dustin Poirier last year.
Saint-Denis endured a difficult 2024 inside the Octagon. While he entered it as a fast-rising contender following five straight wins, he exited it on a two-fight losing skid and with many doubting his potential.
The first setback came against a legend of the sport at UFC 299 in Miami. After a difficult first round against the Frenchman, Poirier knocked Saint-Denis out in round two.
In the aftermath, ‘God of War’ put the result down to the staph infection he battled in the lead-up to facing Poirier and the antibiotics he was taking to cure it.
But a brutal beatdown six months on from UFC 299 alerted Saint-Denis to the real issue that was stalling his career.
Benoit Saint-Denis admits lack of a head coach contributed to his loss against Dustin Poirier
During a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Saint-Denis reflected on his difficult run last year having bounced back with a submission win over newcomer Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315 on Saturday.
The French star’s woes were compounded after the Poirier loss, when Renato Moicano headed to Paris and mauled Saint-Denis in front of his home fans.
While the illness in Miami had masked the negative effects of acting as his own head coach, the one-sided result against Moicano opened Saint-Denis’ eyes.
“With the Poirier fight, I always had it in my head that I was sick and that was why I lost, but it’s not completely true,” Saint-Denis said.
“The Moicano fight was a very humbling experience. It brought me back to knowing that you cannot enter a fight without a strategy and without knowing exactly what type of fight you want to make and what type of battle you want to settle.”
Win over Benoit Saint-Denis earned Dustin Poirier a UFC title shot
As Saint-Denis endured a difficult time after UFC 299, Poirier found himself thrust into a previously unlikely third shot at reaching the undisputed mountaintop in the UFC lightweight division.
‘The Diamond’ challenged Islam Makhachev in the main event of UFC 302 last June, giving the Dagestani a run for his money before being submitted in the fifth and final round.
After once again missing out on capturing the UFC lightweight gold, Poirier subsequently pondered retirement but later committed to one final farewell inside the cage in 2025.
His wish to have that fight in his home state has been granted, as the Louisianan is set to battle for Max Holloway’s symbolic BMF title in the main event of UFC 318 in New Orleans this July.
Although many saw the narrow losing effort against Makhachev last year as a strong way for Poirier to go out, he’ll hope to finish a memorable career with a victory come fight night inside the Smoothie King Center.