Dustin Poirier retracted his earlier revelation that his UFC 299 fight against Benoit Saint-Denis would not be pushed. According to “The Diamond,” it was just all a matter of “misunderstanding,” assuring fans that the “fight is on!”
My fights off but still working 👊 pic.twitter.com/DRG61CJySA
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 1, 2024
On Thursday, the No. 3 lightweight shared on X that his upcoming fight against Saint-Denis was “off.” The short statement caused confusion among fans, with sources not even aware of the situation. Then, the fighter confirmed to MMA journalist Ariel Helwani that it was indeed the case, sharing that “there was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn’t come to terms.”
This is not surprising as it is a culture in the UFC to announce its fights even if the fighters still haven’t signed any contract. This is an issue in some cases, however. For instance, the bout between Sean Brady and Vicente Luque was announced to headline the UFC Atlantic City card, but the former later withdrew from the fight due to an injury, revealing that he didn’t sign any contract.
Injury, nonetheless, is not the only thing that could cause the fighter to back out of the fight. Prior to UFC 254, Poirier decided to withdraw from his match against Tony Ferguson after he failed to attain his contract terms with UFC. CEO Dana White echoed this, saying “There’s a lot of different ways to turn down a fight” and “negotiating yourself out of one is one of the ways you can do it.” The executive suggested it was the case with Poirier at that time.
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!!! pic.twitter.com/oPriv0dMQq
— The Diamond (@DustinPoirier) February 1, 2024
Thankfully, Poirier and Saint-Denis’ case didn’t end that way after the former interim lightweight champ reversed his statement. Just hours after posting his first announcement, Poirier said that it was just an error due to lack of communication. It is unknown whether Poirier’s party reached an agreement with the UFC, but the good news is that the fight is now official.
“Sorry folks, I jumped the gun,” Poirier wrote in his latest post. “I couldn’t get a hold of my manager for a few days. I just spoke with him and Hunter [Campbell]. Misunderstanding on my part. Fight is on! See you March 9th Miami!”
