Dustin Poirier weighs up retirement ahead of UFC 299 return: ‘I’m fighting to see if I’ve still got it’
Former interim lightweight champion, Dustin Poirier has admitted nerves are setting to set him for him ahead of his return to the Octagon against the highly-touted, Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 299 this weekend – claiming a potential retirement for him come could in the not too distant future.
Poirier, a former interim lightweight titleholder and the current number three ranked divisional contender, has been sidelined since he headlined UFC 291 back in July of last year, suffering a devastating loss to two-time foe, Justin Gaethje.
Competing for the symbolic BMF title, Poirier dropped a stunning second round high-kick KO loss to his fellow former interim champion – in what came as just his second knockout loss since his lightweight divisional move back in 2015.
Dustin Poirier admits nerves ahead of UFC 299
Co-headlining the above-mentioned Nimes native, Saint-Denis in a five round clash this weekend in Miami, Florida, American Top Team staple, Poirier admitted that nerves are starting to settle in ahead of his ‘Sunshine State’ comeback – claiming he’s fighting to see if he still has “it”.
“[I’m fighting Benoit Saint-Denis] to test myself really – to see if I’ve still got it,” Dustin Poirier told TMZ Sports ahead of UFC 299. “This guy is young, hungry, on a streak, finished his last five opponents – that makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire.”
“That’s where I feel like I do my best work, and thoses are the kinds of fighters I want to fight – guys who are leaving it all out there, showing grit – they fight for finishes. That’s the kind of fight I want to be involved in. Every fight could be ‘it’ – every fight. Where I’m at, 35 years old, this is my thirtieth fight in the UFC – every fight could be it.”
Who wins at UFC 299 this weekend: Dustin Poirier or Benoit Saint-Denis?
