Benoit St. Denis Claims Pre-Fight Antibiotics Hindered Performance at UFC 299
If it seems like Benoit St. Denis faded in the second round of his fight at UFC 299, there may have been a good reason for that.
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“Unfortunately this evening I was not able to fully express myself,” St. Denis wrote (via Google Translate). “My body didn’t respond 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.”
Heading into the bout, St. Denis appeared to have a sore on his head, which led to speculation that the Frenchman may have been dealing with a staph infection. While St. Denis did not give specifics on the nature of his ailment, his post seems to confirm that he was in something of a diminished state.
“Sorry to disappoint you. I will come back stronger. Thanks to Dustin for accepting this fight,” St. Denis wrote. “It was impossible for me not to seize the opportunity of such a fight.”
Prior to facing Poirier, St. Denis had been victorious in five straight UFC appearances — all inside the distance. Poirier expressed confidence that his opponent would be able to rebound from the defeat at the UFC 299 post-fight press conference.
“He has the ability. He’s proven it with all of his wins,” Poirier said. “This is his first time getting finished. His first loss was to a welterweight, not on a full training camp on short notice. He’s still young. Obviously he has the mental fortitude to do it. He’s a military veteran, so he’s been through some things. If he decides to do it, I think he can. If he keeps evolving, getting better, he’ll be right back where he was.”
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