Dustin Poirier explains decision to take Benoît Saint-Denis fight at UFC 299

Dustin Poirier and Benoît Saint-Denis are on a collision course, with the pair set to cross swords at UFC 299. In a recent interview with TMZ Sports, Poirier touched on why he accepted a matchup with Saint-Denis, who is ranked considerably lower than 'The Diamond' in the 155-pound division.

According to Dustin Poirier, several factors played into his decision. Among them, however, is the competitive drive to determine whether he is still good enough.

"To test myself, really. To see if I still got it. This guy's young, hungry. You know, on a streak, finished his last five opponents. That, you know, makes me nervous, so I want to toss myself in the fire. That's where I feel like I do my best work and those are the kind of fighters I want to fight, you know? 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."

While Poirier praised Saint-Denis for the latter's win streak and fighting style, it is uncommon to see a top-three fighter face anyone ranked outside the top 10. When asked why other fighters don't do the same, he could only speak for why he approached the scenario differently.

"I guess it depends... what happens after that, you know? But really where the division sits right now, there's nobody for me to fight at this moment. I don't want to wait for a few fights to happen, you know? Hey, this is the fight business, You know, guys put together good performances and they worked their way up. Somebody gave me my shot and now let's find out if this guy can do it."

Check out Dustin Poirier talking about his upcoming UFC 299 fight (1:45):

Naturally, fans expect fireworks, and Poirier has never been in a boring fight. So whether the fight will be a changing of the guard or a hard-nosed veteran turning back the clock, it will be action from bell to bell.

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Is there truly no one else Dustin Poirier could have fought?

A glance at the lightweight rankings seems to verify Dustin Poirier's claim that there weren't other compelling opponents for him to fight. He is coming off a loss, so he couldn't face Islam Makhachev for a title fight, and even if he could have, the Dagestani won't fight during Ramadan season.

Charles Oliveira is booked to face Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje will face Max Holloway, and he has already beaten Michael Chandler. Mateusz Gamrot will fight Rafael dos Anjos, Rafael Fiziev is injured, and Beneil Dariush got knocked out in December.