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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC lightweight Dustin Poirier says he will no longer be fighting Benoit Saint-Denis after failing to come to financial terms for the bout with the UFC.
Poirier (29-8) was expected to face Saint-Denis (13-1), a rising contender in the lightweight division, at UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami. UFC CEO Dana White announced the bout earlier this month. Poirier was slated as the co-main event, under a bantamweight title fight between Sean O’Malley and Marlon Vera.
Poirier revealed on social media Thursday that his fight with Saint-Denis was “off.” In a follow-up statement to ESPN, he explained why he won’t be taking the fight.
“There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn’t come to terms,” Poirier told ESPN, via text.
The UFC has not yet commented on Poirier’s stance.
Poirier, 35, hasn’t fought since he suffered a knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in a BMF title fight in July. He is coming off the most high-profile stretch of his career, a three-year run that has included two fights against Conor McGregor, a title fight against Charles Oliveira, a fan favorite bout with Michael Chandler and the BMF fight.
Saint-Denis, 28, is currently on a five-fight win streak.