"Soldiers wouldn't make excuses" - MMA fans, including the President of France, react to Benoit Saint Denis' "week of antibiotics" post-loss statement

Benoit Saint Denis' post-fight statement after his loss to former interim UFC lightweight champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 has caught the attention of MMA fans all over the world, including the President of France.

The co-main event of UFC 299 featured a five-round lightweight bout between Poirier and Saint Denis. After an exciting first round, Poirier knocked out Saint Denis with a devastating right hook after struggling for the first few minutes of the second round.

Following his loss, Saint Denis took to Instagram and released a statement. He wrote:

''Hello France. 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. 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 my team and family. BSD''

Under Saint Denis' post, French President Emmanuel Macron showed his support by writing:

''Proud. You show the world that French MMA is great. Besides being a hero of our special forces, there is no doubt: you will one day be a huge champion!''

Take a look at the post below:

Some fans, however, were not as forgiving and supportive in their reactions. Under a tweet by @oocmma where the screenshots of Saint Denis' statement were shared, fans criticized him for "making excuses" for the loss.

Check out their reactions below, along with the French President's:

''Classic French behavior.''

''Horrible excuse. That’s his own fault''

Citing Saint Denis' military background, one fan criticized him, writing:

''Sas soldiers wouldn't make excuses. This Sf solider is an insult to true warriors''

Check out more reactions below:

Screenshot of fan reaction to OOC MMA's post on X

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Dana White's thoughts on Benoit Saint Denis vs. Dustin Poirier fight

In the UFC 299 post-fight press conference, UFC CEO Dana White spoke about Dustin Poirier knocking out Benoit Saint Denis.

He said:

''These are legendary fights, when you go in and you face a guy who is a savage and looks like you can't win this fight or people think you can't win this fight and then you go in and do it in spectacular fashion the way that [Poirier] did tonight.''

Check out Dana White's full comments about Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis below (3:05):