Dustin Poirier made waves early Thursday by saying his UFC 299 showdown with Benoit Saint-Denis was off, striking a major blow to a card fight fans had been eagerly anticipating. However, the lightweight has since posted an update stating the bout is still intact.
The reason? Though neither fighter is hurt and both remain in the gym, Poirier told ESPN that the fight was never agreed to, despite being officially announced by the promotion.
“There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn’t come to terms,” explained Poirier, roughly an hour after he had tweeted that the fight was off.
Is Poirier’s fight at #UFC299 against BSD off??!!! pic.twitter.com/8fx1E1zcP5
— Cageside Press (@Cagesidepress) February 1, 2024
It was the second time in barely 24 hours that a high-profile UFC fight had fallen through with one party apparently having not signed on for the bout. Sean Brady vs. Vicente Luque, anticipated to headline UFC Atlantic City, is also off, with Brady dealing with injury. Brady had not signed his bout agreement.
That fight had been officially announced by the UFC. Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis was as well, and had been slotted in as the UFC 299 co-main event — and as a five-round affair.
France’s Saint-Denis stated on Thursday on social media that he would still be fighting on the card, despite Poirier’s news. And luckily, it appears it all boils down to a miscommunication. Per Poirier’s Instagram, the fight is back on (if it was every truly off). Apparently, the Louisiana native couldn’t reach his manager.
“Sorry folks, I jumped the gun, I couldn’t get a hold of my manager for a few days. I just spoke with him and Hunter. Misunderstanding on my part. Fight is on! See you March 9th Miami!!”
UFC 299 takes place at the Kaseya Center on March 9, 2024 with the following fights currently reported for the event:
- Sean O’Malley (c) vs. Marlon Vera — for the UFC bantamweight championship
- Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint-Denis
- Kevin Holland vs. Michael Page
- Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
- Petr Yan vs. Song Yadong
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida
- Katlyn Chookagian vs. Maycee Barber
- Mateusz Gamrot vs. Rafael dos Anjos
- Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
- Michel Pereira vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
- Robelis Despaigne vs. Josh Parisian
- C.J. Vergara vs. Assu Almabayev
- Joanne Wood vs. Maryna Moroz
Correction: We originally stated that Brady vs. Luque had not been officially announced by the UFC. It was, however, announced by Dana White.
