UFC lightweight star Dustin Poirier expects Benoît Saint Denis to lose a second straight fight to an American Top Team standout this fall.
Poirier and Saint Denis shared the Octagon in the co-main event of March's UFC 299 pay-per-view event in Miami. Supporters of the Frenchman tipped him to continue his rise at the expense of the veteran contender.
But although he looked to be on track to doing so through one round, "God of War" faded in the second and ultimately fell to his first UFC defeat at 155 pounds by way of a brutal knockout.
"The Diamond" went on to ride that result into a title shot against Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 last month. Saint Denis, meanwhile, recently had his chance to rebound confirmed, and it'll see him up against ATT once again.
At the UFC Fight Night set for Paris, France, on September 28, Saint Denis is expected to headline in front of his home fans opposite the #10-ranked Renato Moicano.
Poirier and the ATT gym's experience going up against Saint Denis could come in handy on fight night, and the Louisianan himself is expecting his team to go two up on the Frenchman...
Poirier Offers Moicano Helping Hand For Paris Prep
During a recent in-studio appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Poirier addressed the confirmed matchup between his stablemate and recent opponent.
Having gotten the better of Saint Denis mere months ago, "The Diamond" revealed he's offered to aid in the latter part of Moicano's training camp.
And in terms of how he thinks the bout will play out at Accor Arena, Poirier noted his experience seeing the Brazilian's jiu-jitsu talents in the gym to back a submission victory for him and ATT on September 28.
I actually saw Moicano during International Fight Week. ... I went and talked to him and I told him, if he needs help, I'll fly back to Florida," Poirier said. "I've been nursing a few injuries from this last one (against Makhachev), but I think they're fighting in September. ... So probably like, August or something like that, maybe end of August I can go help him out a few weeks.
Honestly, I think he submits BSD," Poirier continued. "His (Moicano's) jiu-jitsu is really good. And he's strong for that weight, and big.
Moicano has shared similar confidence when it comes to his chances of departing France with a major victory added to his record.
While Saint Denis' form pre-UFC 299 and early success against Poirier has left many backing him to bounce back at the Brazilian's expense come fight night on September 28, Moicano is promising to upset the odds and spoil the night for the Paris locals.
Loading tweet...