Dustin Poirier opens as surprise betting underdog ahead of Benoit Saint Denis fight at UFC 299 in March

Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has opened as a quite stark betting underdog largely across the board for his UFC 299 co-main event clash with Benoit Saint Denis in April – as the Lafayette native books his second consecutive five round clash.

Poirier, a former interim lightweight titleholder and current number three ranked divisional contender, most recently competed in the main event of UFC 291 back in July, taking on fellow former interim gold holder, Justin Gaethje in a symbolic BMF championship fight atop a Salt Lake City flagship card for the promotion.

Suffering just his second knockout loss at the lightweight limit since his 2015 return to 155 pounds, Poirier was stopped with a devastating second round high-kick from Gaethje – who minted himself as just the second-ever BMF champion, after an inaugural title win from Dustin Poirier’s teammate, Jorge Masvidal.

As for Saint Denis, the surging finisher most recently featured at UFC 295 back in November in a Madison Square Garden first for the Frenchman, landing his fifth consecutive victory with a blistering first round high-kick knockout win over Matt Frevola. The win earned Saint Denis the number twelve rank at lightweight to boot.

Dustin Poirier opens as a betting underdog ahead of UFC 299

However, despite his prestige at the lightweight limit, perennial contender, Dustin Poirier is available as a betting underdog off the bat for his fight with Benoit Saint Denis – opening at odds as high as +124 to beat the French striker, who sits as a -148 betting favorite currently. 

With 2024 gearing up to be a massive year for the Dana White-led organization, fans interested in sports betting can place money on a slew of fights including Poirier’s return against Saint Denis in March. And furthermore, the following month in April, the Octagon touches down in Las Vegas for a massive UFC 300 card – which is sure to bring with it massive punters and casino action – in tandem with a June International Fight Week card in ‘Sin City’.

With a chequered history in terms of betting odds, Dustin Poirier who opened as a betting underdog and eventually closed as one to beat three-time foe, Conor McGregor in their 2021 rematch, stopped the Dubliner with a second round KO in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

And in that summer, eventually closing as a betting favorite, Poirier initially opened as high as a +120 betting underdog to beat the charismatic striker, before landing a first round doctor’s stoppage TKO win.

Last time out, Louisiana puncher, Dustin Poirier opened as a close +105 betting underdog to beat Gaethje – whom he had previously stopped with strikes in their first fight, before closing as a -125 betting favorite, en route to a hellacious second round high-kick KO loss.

Coming into his own off the back of a desperate performance in his first-ever UFC outing, Nimes native, Saint Denis dropped a one-sided unanimous decision loss to Brazilian contender, Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in his 2021 bow.

Since then, the 28-year-old has turned in consecutive victories over Niklas Stolze, Gabriel Miranda, Ismael Bonfim, Thiago Moises, and the aforementioned, Frevola – stopping each of his five opponents with either strikes or submission finishes. 

Earning his high-profile clash with Dustin Poirier at UFC 299, Benoit Saint Denis takes co-main event honors for the first time in his Octagon tenure, as well as finding himself inserted into his premier five round clash to boot.

Also featured on the massive UFC 299 card in ‘The Sunshine State’ – an undisputed bantamweight title fight rematch between champion, Sean O’Malley and challenger, Marlon Vera – with the two renewing their three-year old bitter rivalry. 

Fan-favorite welterweight contender and one-time title challenger, Gilbert Burns makes his return to the Octagon on that same UFC 299, as he takes on surging Australian contender, Jack Della Maddelena in a main card showing.

Furthermore, a high-profile striker makes his promotional bow on the flagship event, as former Bellator MMA welterweight title challenger, Michael ‘Venom’ Page makes his long-anticipated Octagon landing in a showdown with Riverside contender, Kevin Holland.

Amongst other current additions to the card, former bantamweight champion, Petr Yan returns in a bid to snap his three-fight skid in a pivotal clash against Song Yadong, while ex-lightweight kingpin, Rafael dos Anjos is booked to fight American Top Team force, Mateusz Gamrot in a massive showdown. 

Another eye-catching clash sure to find it’s way to the main card is the return of perennial contender, Curtis Blaydes who takes on incoming Brazilian star, Jailton Almeida – who has so-far enjoyed a roughshod run through the division, most recently taking out Derrick Lewis on home soil late last year. 

Hoping to springboard a victory over Saint Denis into potentially one last title run, Dustin Poirier, who snatched interim gold in a rematch with Max Holloway back in 2019 – failed in a bid to unify the titles against current champion, Islam Makhachev’s close friend and trainer, Khabib Nurmagomedov in September of that same year in a submission loss in the Middle East.

Who wins in a UFC 299 fight in March: Dustin Poirier or Benoit Saint Denis?