Poirier vs Saint-Denis to Fight at UFC 299; Oliveira vs. Tsarukyan Set for UFC 300

UFC president Dana White surprised fans with a couple of fight announcements on Sunday night.

White revealed in a social media video that Dustin Poirier will be making his return to the Octagon at UFC 299 in a five-round co-main event fight against Benoit Saint-Denis. Also, former lightweight champion Charles Oliveira will face Arman Tsarukyan in a No. 1 contender's fight at UFC 300.

UFC 299 is scheduled for March 9 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. It will mark Poirier's first fight since he lost to Justin Gaethje by a head-kick knockout in a BMF title fight in the main event of UFC 291 on July 29.

One of the most exciting fighters in the UFC, Poirier is known for having high-action fights no matter who he's standing across from. He's a former interim lightweight champion and he holds wins over the likes of Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler.

Poirier will be facing a rising contender in Saint-Denis, who is riding a five-fight win streak into the biggest matchup of his career. All five victories came by stoppage with three knockouts and two submissions. He most recently defeated Matt Frevola by first-round KO at UFC 296 on Nov. 11.

White noted that Oliveira was set to fight lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, but Makhachev is injured and won't be available until the summer. Oliveira bounced back from his 2022 loss to Makhachev with a first-round TKO win over Beneil Dariush at UFC 289 on June 10.

Tsarukyan is also coming off a win over Dariush, defeating him by first-round KO in a UFC Fight Night main event on Dec. 2. He has won his last three fights with back-to-back stoppages. He will look for the biggest win of his career at UFC 300, which is set for April 13 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.