Poirier vs. Saint Denis back on for UFC 299 after 'misunderstanding'

The UFC 299 co-main event between lightweight contenders Dustin Poirier and Benoit Saint Denis is back on for March 9 in Miami, Poirier and his manager confirmed Thursday.

Poirier tweeted earlier Thursday that the highly anticipated fight was "off."

"Sorry folks, I jumped the gun," Poirier wrote on X. "I couldn't get a hold of my manager for a few days. I just spoke with him and (UFC chief business officer) Hunter (Campbell). Misunderstanding on my part. Fight is on!"

After revealing he was out of UFC 299, Poirier told ESPN's Brett Okamoto that the matchup against Saint Denis was never officially signed - despite UFC CEO Dana White announcing it in January - and fell apart in negotiations.

"There was no contractual agreement before the fight was announced, and we couldn't come to terms," Poirier wrote via text.

Poirier's manager, Tiki Ghosn, told ESPN's Marc Raimondi following Poirier's latest tweet that the fight is officially on and that there was a "miscommunication."

Poirier is looking to bounce back after suffering a devastating knockout loss to Justin Gaethje in a BMF title fight at UFC 291 last July. "The Diamond" is 1-2 in his last three Octagon appearances.

Saint Denis has an opportunity to emerge as a 155-pound title contender against Poirier. The Frenchman is coming off a knockout win over Matt Frevola last November and has won five straight.

In the UFC 299 main event, Sean O'Malley will make his first bantamweight title defense in a rematch with Marlon "Chito" Vera.