"Frustration of having had a very bad fight" - Benoît Saint Denis expresses excitement to return, reflects on his loss to Dustin Poirier
Benoît Saint Denis has finally offered a more in-depth take on the ordeal he experienced ahead of his UFC 299 loss to Dustin Poirier. The Frenchman revealed that he had contracted a staph infection before their bout, but was mum about his illness for fear of being pulled from the card.
When the two stepped inside the octagon to cross swords, Saint Denis seemed unstoppable, at least initially, as he overwhelmed Poirier with his grappling and physicality. However, he tired massively heading into round two after failing to finish his foe and was ultimately the recipient of a brutal knockout.
"The frustration of having had a very bad fight. I wasn't there, I was absent and I never felt present from the start of fight week until the fight. I fought more against the infection and my weight than against Dustin Poirier. I can't wait because I know I was in shape and ready to fight, but unfortunately I had a sh*tty fight week. I really want to come back and make a mark, because I'm very frustrated."
Check out Benoît Saint Denis talk about his Dustin Poirier loss (9:43):
Before his loss to Poirier, the Frenchman was on a stunning five-fight win streak, which consisted of knockouts over Matt Frevola and Thiago Moisés, submissions over Ismael Bonfim and Gabriel Miranda, and a knockout over Niklas Stolze. Unfortunately, that win streak came to an end via knockout.
It was the first time Saint Denis has ever been finished in his career, and he is now determined to bounce back.
Benoit Saint Denis was criticized by Dustin Poirier for his staph infection comments
After Benoît Saint Denis claimed to have been too affected by his staph infection to have performed as he usually does, Dustin Poirier brushed off his comments. 'The Diamond' retorted with his own experience of having fought ill, asserting that Saint Denis should not be looking for excuses:
"I've gone into so many fights with staph infections, with fractured foot, with lacerated bicep, with staph infection in my ear, all kinds of stuff. That's fighting. We're on the mats every day. Everybody has something going on going into fights, but you can't say that when you lose. You gotta hush it up."
Check out Dustin Poirier's comments on Benoît Saint Denis (2:45):
Saint Denis is yet to respond directly to Poirier's retort. Instead, he seems to be focused on returning to the octagon and specifically, returning to the win column.