Benoit fans should be worried about Dustin Poirier’s record as an underdog as UFC 299 approaches

Left: Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images Right: Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC

Dustin Poirier is 5-3 as an underdog in his professional career as he prepares for battle against Benoit Saint-Denis tonight at UFC 299.

Many fans have been surprised to see veteran Dustin Poirier closing as a sizable underdog for his UFC 299 co-main event, having initially opened as a favorite over the surging Saint-Denis.

It’s a spot that ‘The Diamond’ has rarely found himself in recent years, yet Poirier actually has a winning record when competing as an underdog with five wins and three losses as a pro, so how did those eight fights go down?

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 11: Dustin Poirier reacts as he enters the ring before his UFC lightweight championship bout against Charles Oliveira of Brazil during the UFC 269 on December 11, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Heading into UFC 299 and yet another PPV feature fight, Dustin Poirier’s record stands at 29-8, having made his professional debut all the way back in 2009.

He’s been an underdog in eight of those 27 fights, as per the BestFightOdds archive, yet ‘The Diamond’ of Louisiana has made a point of upsetting the apple cart on multiple occasions when the bookies picked against him:

As a betting underdog at the close, Poirier has claimed victories over Conor McGregor (second fight), Max Holloway (second fight), Joseph Duffy, Erik Koch, and Josh Grispi.

Four out of the five times that Poirier has won a contest as the underdog, he has done so by unanimous decision.

Considering that the UFC 299 co-main event against Saint-Denis is scheduled for five rounds rather than three, don’t be surprised if Poirier can extend the contest into the latter stages and steal another upset decision win.

At the time of the official weigh-ins on Friday and as per DraftKings Sportsbook, Dustin Poirier to win by decision is +700.

On the other side of that moneyline, he’s also lost three times as an underdog; coming against Khabib Nurmagomedov via submission, Conor McGregor (first fight) via KO, and Danny Castillo via decision.

Dustin Poirier’s career as an underdog:

We’ll have to wait and see whether history will repeat itself, or if the young lion Saint-Denis can find the biggest win of his career to date.

UFC 299 goes down on Saturday, March 9 from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

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About the author Tom Llewellyn

Tom Llewellyn is GRV Media’s Head of Combat Sports and a lifelong MMA fan. In fact, his first introduction to the sport was reading Bloody Elbow a decade ago, as the website helped ignite his passion for martial arts with in-depth analysis and exciting news revelations. Watching the UFC is his biggest passion in life and Tom proudly boasts that he hasn’t missed a PPV event in eight years. He closely follows fighters on X (Twitter) to uncover the latest news, unpacks interviews and press conferences with expert analysis, and monitors podcasts for exclusive stories. Tom has been a part of GRV Media for four years, spending the majority of his time desperately hoping the company would open a combat sports website. Finally, he has the chance to combine editorial experience, MMA knowledge and strong UFC opinion to help grow the brand he has loved for 10 years – and counting.

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