Poirier changes course after saying UFC 299 fight vs. Saint-Denis was 'off'

After several hours of confusion Thursday afternoon, the previously announced co-main event for UFC 299 is officially on again.

Dustin Poirier announced earlier in the day his UFC 299 five-round co-main event bout with fellow lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis was off when he posted a cryptic post on his social media accounts. A photo of him training was accompanied by a caption that read: "My fights off but still working."

ESPN's Brett Okamoto later revealed Poirier's reasoning as to why he said the fight was called off was, according to Poirier, via text, "There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced and we couldn't come to terms."

Several hours after that, however, Poirier followed up by declaring his earlier announcement a mistake and confirmed he will be competing on March 9 at Miami's Kaseya Center after all.

Poirier has not stepped foot into the Octagon since taking a knockout loss in July against Justin Gaethje. "The Diamond" has scored some huge wins since 2021, including two TKO victories over Conor McGregor, and has a 4-2 record since the turn of the decade, garnering himself the No. 3-ranking in the 155-pound division.

This bout with France's Saint-Denis is highly anticipated by many UFC fans, as the battle between the two finishers is a potential star-making opportunity for the "God of War" who is one of the fastest rising fighters in the division.

Since suffering a loss in his UFC debut at UFC 267, the No. 11-ranked Saint-Denis has posted a perfect 5-0 record, winning three fights by knockout, and two by submission. His most recent fight at UFC 295 earned himself a Performance of the Night bonus for a vicious head-kick knockout over Matt Frevola.

The main event of UFC 299 is currently slated to be champion Sean O'Malley defending his UFC bantamweight title against Marlon Vera in a rematch from 2020. It will be the final pay-per-view card before the flagship UFC 300 on April 13 in Las Vegas.