Benoit Saint-Denis confesses to infection struggles post-KO loss at UFC 299, says “my body didn’t keep up” due to weeklong antibiotic treatment

Benoit Saint-Denis said he entered the fight compromised after suffering his first career loss at lightweight in the UFC 299 co-main event on Sunday, March 10.

Scheduled to go five rounds with Dustin Poirier in Miami, Saint-Denis won round one on all three judges' scorecards before falling victim to the right hand of 'The Diamond' in round two. In a reaction post just hours later, Saint-Denis thanked his team, fans, and family for their support while claiming he was not at full strength.

In the post, the 28-year-old said his body "didn't keep up" due to an infection that required full antibiotic treatment during the fight week.

Translated to English from his native French, Benoit Saint-Denis wrote:

"Unfortunately tonight I couldn't fully express myself. My body didn't keep up after a week of antibiotics to fight an infection. Throughout I was present but my body was absent, it did not react as usual. I only had one round to give you."

Saint-Denis continued to thank Poirier for the matchup while saying it was "impossible not to seize the opportunity of such a fight," implying that he did not want to withdraw from the event.

"Sorry to disappoint you. I will come back stronger, thanks to Dustin for accepting this fight. It was impossible for me not to seize the opportunity of such a fight. Thanks everyone for the support. Thanks to my team and my family," he added.

Throughout the lead-up to UFC 299 during fight week, fans questioned Saint-Denis' health, as many spotted an unusual mark on the fighter's forehead. 'The God of War' confirmed he had an infection but did not say if it specifically was staph, as many predicted.

The knockout loss to Poirier ended a five-fight win streak for Saint-Denis and handed the lightweight his first finish loss.

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Who has Benoit Saint-Denis beaten in the UFC?

Entering UFC 299, Benoit Saint-Denis had become a fan-favorite fighter at lightweight due to his high-action style, leading to five straight impressive victories to place him into the top 15.

Saint-Denis, who entered the UFC on short notice to suffer a brutal beatdown from Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at welterweight, now has a 5-2 record in the octagon, with all of the wins in his career inside the distance. Since suffering the first loss of his career to dos Santos, the Frenchman dropped to lightweight and picked up consecutive wins over Niklas Stolze, Gabriel Miranda, Ismael Bonfim, Thiago Moises, and Matt Frevola.

Though the updated UFC rankings have yet to be released following UFC 299, Benoit Saint-Denis currently remains the no. 12 ranked contender in the division.