Dustin Poirier thinks Benoit Saint Denis should have kept quiet about his staph infection.
After Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) knocked out Saint Denis in the second round at UFC 299 earlier this month, the Frenchman revealed that he entered the fight with staph infection on his forehead, which he says hampered his performance.
The infection was visible on his head during fight week, but Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) later shared images which showed the worst stages of it. Poirier is not a fan of Saint Denis making excuses.
“You say those type of things like ‘I had an infection, I was battling something,’ you say that when you win, you don’t say that when you lose,” Poirier told USA TODAY Sports’ Mackenzie Salmon.
“I’ve gone into so many fights with staph infection, with fractured foot, with lacerated bicep, staph infection in my ear – all kinds of stuff. That’s fighting. We’re on the mats every day. Everybody has something going on going into fights, but you can’t say that when you lose. You’ve got to hush it up.”
With UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev looking to return in June, Poirier has now emerged as a potential title contender. The remaining lightweight contenders are currently tied up, with Justin Gaethje defending his BMF title against Max Holloway at UFC 300, and top contenders Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan also squaring off on the April 13 card.
