2 – Dustin Poirier VS Benoit St Denis
One of MMA’s great warrior-legends is approaching the end of a career worthy of an epic saga. ‘The Diamond’ may never have captured undisputed gold, but he will be deified among names like Robbie Lawler and Eddie Alvarez for having the best resumes of wars which put them on par with gladiators and knights of old. At this stage in his career, per himself, Poirier is after opponents which excite him, which get his heart pounding and make him feel fear.
Benoit St. Denis is such a fight. After a career spent fighting the very best – Dustin has not fought an opponent ranked outside the top-10 since 2017 when he fought legendary record-holder Jim Miller – the Frenchman represents an ostensible step back in competition at UFC 299. But at thirty-five, coming off his first knockout loss in eight years, fighting a young, hungry, athletic finisher has left Poirier as the underdog in this bout, with the odds growing steeper day after day. Yet fans who have watched Dustin fight to near-death against Justin Gaethje, Max Holloway, Eddie Alvarez, Jim Miller, Dan Hooker, Conor McGregor, Anthony Pettis, and Mike Chandler know that in a battle of grit, determination, and blood Dustin Poirier can never be counted out. He won every single great war he has ever been in, save for against The Korean Zombie at featherweight a decade ago.
Poirier’s southpaw boxing presents a challenge for Benoit, who leans heavily on the open stance body kick to tie his striking together as a southpaw himself, but the former French Special Forces fighter actually finds his advantage in this matchup in the wrestling and grappling. St. Denis is a brute in that department; though it may not be the most polished he is able to use brute strength to out grapple BJJ black belts like Thiago Moises. ‘The Diamond’ has long found his weakness in that realm. Though he is a black belt himself his hips are not the best and he can get taken down by otherwise lesser opponents and controlled. To me, that is where this fight will be decided, because if Dustin can keep it on the feet he should pick St. Denis apart, with the five-round nature of this fight playing into his advantage as a veteran experienced in deep waters. Benoit is a veteran himself, but of a different type of war, and Saturday’s UFC 299 will show the world if that live combat experience carries over to the top level of mixed martial arts.
