Benoit Saint Denis vs Dustin Poirier

Benoit Saint Denis

Pro 17-4-0 (1 NC)  |  UFC 9-4-0
VS

Dustin Poirier

Pro 30-10-0 (1 NC)  |  UFC 22-9-0
Age
30|37
Height
5'11"|5'9"
Reach
73"|72"
Stance
Southpaw|Southpaw

Career Statistics

Statistic Benoit Saint Denis Dustin Poirier Edge
Striking
Sig. Strike Accuracy58.5%50.0%
Sig. Strikes Landed/min5.65.3
Sig. Strikes Absorbed/min4.14.7
Strike Differential1.5/min0.7/min
Grappling
Takedown Accuracy35.3%35.9%
Takedown Defense72.2%63.0%
Takedowns Landed/15min4.11.2
Submission Attempts/15min1.71.1
Control Time/15min7:043:01
Finishing Ability
KO/TKO % of Wins55.6%50.0%
Submission % of Wins44.4%18.2%
Decision % of Wins0.0%31.8%
Avg Fight Time6:4010:52
Secondary Stats
Knockdowns/15min0.90.6
Reversals/15min0.20.2
Edges504 even

Fight Dynamics

Career Striking Volume
Benoit Saint Denis   Dustin Poirier   League median
StatisticBenoit Saint DenisDustin PoirierEdge
Fight Shape
Fight Completion Rate40.4%55.3%
Avg Fight Time6:4010:52
% Fights Inside the Distance92.3%68.8%
Strength of UFC Schedule
Opponent UFC Win % (all)68.9%74.3%
Opponent UFC Record (all)93-42 (68.9%)197-68 (74.3%)
Opponent Record (among wins)46-26 (63.9%)105-38 (73.4%)
Positional Profile
% Time at Distance (approx.)40.9%59.6%
% Time in Control47.2%20.1%
% Time Controlled11.9%20.3%
Control Rate of Clinch/Ground Time79.9%49.8%
Distance Striking
Distance Sig. Landed / Min6.906.82
Distance Sig. Absorbed / Min7.306.19
Distance Striking Differential / Min-0.39+0.63
Distance Strike Accuracy50.0%46.5%
Distance Strike Defense47.0%56.5%
Power & Pressure
KDs per 100 Power Strikes1.791.00
Knocked Down per 100 Absorbed0.360.32
TD Attempts per 5 Distance Min9.581.88
TDs Faced per 5 Distance Min2.542.22
Fade Index (R3 / R1 pace)0.66
UFC fights only. Metrics with insufficient data show "—" and award no edge. Methodology →

Last 5 Fights (Averages)

Statistic Benoit Saint Denis Dustin Poirier Edge
Sig. Strike Accuracy70.8%46.0%
Sig. Strikes Landed/min6.53.8
Sig. Strikes Absorbed/min2.05.7
Takedown Accuracy32.0%0.0%
Takedown Defense100.0%63.3%
Control Time/Fight3:170:24
Edges600 even

Last 3 Fights

Benoit Saint Denis

LOSS
vs. Paddy Pimblett
UFC 329: McGregor vs. Holloway 2 • Jul 2026Lightweight
Submission (D'Arce Choke) • Rd 1, 0:52
Benoit Saint Denis1/333%TD 0/1Ctrl 0:04
Paddy Pimblett4/580%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:37
▼ Rounds
WIN
vs. Dan Hooker
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 • Jan 2026Lightweight
KO/TKO (Punches) • Rd 2, 4:45
Benoit Saint Denis97/12776%TD 2/9Ctrl 6:14
Dan Hooker30/4764%TD 0/1Ctrl 0:28
▼ Rounds
WIN
vs. Beneil Dariush
KO/TKO (Punch) • Rd 1, 0:16
Benoit Saint Denis3/560%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:00KD 1
Beneil Dariush3/560%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:00
▼ Rounds

Dustin Poirier

LOSS
vs. Max Holloway
UFC 318: Holloway vs. Poirier 3 • Jul 2025Lightweight
Decision (Unanimous) • Rd 5, 5:00
Dustin Poirier109/25543%TD 0/1Ctrl 0:12KD 1
Max Holloway198/37553%TD 0/0Ctrl 1:32KD 1
▼ Rounds
LOSS
vs. Islam Makhachev
UFC 302: Makhachev vs. Poirier • Jun 2024LightweightTITLE
Submission (D'Arce Choke) • Rd 5, 2:42
Dustin Poirier74/18340%TD 0/0Ctrl 0:30
Islam Makhachev88/15656%TD 5/16Ctrl 10:23
▼ Rounds
WIN
vs. Benoit Saint Denis
UFC 299: O'Malley vs. Vera 2 • Mar 2024Lightweight
KO/TKO (Punch) • Rd 2, 2:32
Dustin Poirier28/3482%TD 0/1Ctrl 0:31KD 1
Benoit Saint Denis50/7468%TD 3/7Ctrl 4:53
▼ Rounds

Common Opponents

vs. Dan Hooker
Benoit Saint Denis
WIN
UFC 325: Volkanovski vs. Lopes 2 • Jan 2026Lightweight
KO/TKO (Punches) • Rd 2, 4:45
Benoit Saint Denis97/12776%TD 2/9Ctrl 6:14
Dan Hooker30/4764%TD 0/1Ctrl 0:28
▼ Rounds
Dustin Poirier
WIN
UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Hooker • Jun 2020Lightweight
Decision (Unanimous) • Rd 5, 5:00
Dustin Poirier153/23166%TD 1/7Ctrl 2:49
Dan Hooker155/25361%TD 4/9Ctrl 6:02
▼ Rounds

Analysis Summary

Striking Volume: Both fighters operate at a similar pace (5.6 vs 5.3 sig str/min). Accuracy and timing will decide the striking battle.

Striking Accuracy: Benoit Saint Denis connects on 58.5% of significant strikes compared to 50.0%. The 8pp accuracy gap compounds over the rounds.

Grappling: Benoit Saint Denis shoots at 35% accuracy but Dustin Poirier stops 63% of attempts — the takedown path looks difficult. Dustin Poirier shoots at 36% accuracy against Benoit Saint Denis's 72% defense — Benoit Saint Denis should keep it standing.

Finish Threat: Benoit Saint Denis finishes 100% of wins (56% KO/TKO, 44% sub). Dustin Poirier finishes 68% of wins (50% KO/TKO, 18% sub).

Fight Length: Dustin Poirier's fights average 10:52 vs 6:40 for Benoit Saint Denis. If this reaches the championship rounds, Dustin Poirier's conditioning history becomes a factor.

Last updated: 2026-08-22 | Data source: UFCStats.com