Athletes
Benoît Saint Denis | The God Of War Has Returned
Lightweight Benoit Saint Denis Looks To Bounce Back With A Win On Short Notice As He Now Faces Kyle Prepolec At UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena On May 10
There are few fighters that truly resonate more with the “warrior mentality” than Benoît Saint Denis, a veteran of the French Special Forces and current top 15 ranked lightweight.
Saint Denis has not had the best luck in the Octagon lately, as he has dropped two fights back-to-back via finishes. It is worth noting that even though he has not had as much recent success as anticipated, he was fighting against Dustin Poirer and Renato Moicano. Poirer is a legend in his own regard and a known knockout artist, while Moicano just fought for the lightweight belt against Islam Mahkachev.
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“Last fight I learned a lot. I take all responsibility for a lot of mistakes I made,” Saint Denis began. “I think we covered a lot of that in the past couple months and I am really happy to show that (improvement) on Saturday night.”
Saint Denis is one of the select fighters that has finished every win in the UFC. With five total victories in the UFC, three by KO and two via submission, it shows how effective Saint Denis is, no matter where the fight ends up.
“I was very happy to fight Alvarez because we are the two fighters in the lightweight division with 100% finish rate and it was going to be an absolute war. I prepared hard for it.”
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While his opponent has changed from Alvarez to Kyle Prepolec, the “God Of War” was prepared for mayhem. How fitting.
For many people, a late replacement is exactly the thing that would crush their motivation, but not Saint Denis,
“We both have two legs and two arms; you cannot take anybody easily and I am ready.”
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Saint Denis holds some notable active records already in the lightweight division; 10th ranked in striking differential, 10th ranked for shortest average fight time, 10th ranked in control time percentage, 6th ranked in average knockdowns per 15 minutes, 6th ranked in significant strike accuracy, and 10th ranked for striking differential.
That’s a lot of information, but broken down simply, Saint Denis has a knack for ending fights and when he does, it’s dominant. Much of his output is sprinkled between standing strikes, followed by the ground strikes where he always threatens a submission.
While it is not in France, UFC 315 is in Quebec, where there are sure to be many French-Canadian supporters.
“I am blessed to fight in Quebec because it is the home soil of champions like GSP,” Saint Denis exclaims. “It is the beginning of MMA worldwide and worldwide stars. It is great to be here.”
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There is a reason that fighters love to fight in front of a home crowd and Saint Denis will have the opportunity to fight in front of a friendly one this weekend. It appears fighters can tap into a different version of themselves when at home and Saint Denis hints that may be the case here,
“I am back to the soldier version, back to the ‘God of War’ version. You are going to see an animal in the cage, and I can not wait to show that.”
Coming from a veteran of the French Special forces, that is frightening. It would be different if Saint Denis did not threaten to end the fight at any time, but that is his specialty.
Many are quick to forget that Saint Denis was leading on all scorecards against Poirer before the finish. Saint Denis also won the second round against Moicano and while the those fights did not go Saint Denis’ way, it does prove that he is resilient and able to put on performances against these top fighters in the lightweight division.
The current picture of the lightweight division is muddy to say the least, but Saint Denis has not lost focus.
“As always, I want to fight the best, to become the best, and may the better fighter win on Saturday night.
Full Fight | Benoît Saint Denis vs Thiago Moisés
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Full Fight | Benoît Saint Denis vs Thiago Moisés
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“After this mission there will be another one and another one. The goal is always the same,” Saint Denis says to UFC.COM, “If you are in the UFC, to become the UFC champion is the ultimate goal for every fighter in every division.”
Although there are still mountains to climb before Saint Denis can claim a shot for the title, his compatriot will be fighting for a title at UFC 315, Manon Fiorot.
“It is great, I am happy to be in this generation of Cyril, Manon and myself to try and become the best in our respected division,” Saint Denis boasts, “We often say ladies first, so if (Manon Fiorot) can be first, that would be great.”
UFC 315: Muhammad vs Della Maddalena took place live from Bell Centre in Montréal, Québec, Canada on May 10, 2025. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!
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