Benoit Saint-Denis - News & Rumors - UFC

Lasts 52 seconds at UFC 329 Saint-Denis lost to Paddy Pimblett via submission (D'arce choke) at 0:52 of Round 1 at UFC 329 in Las Vegas.

Impact A performance like that on such a big stage is going to be difficult for Saint-Denis to overcome. There's nothing to really say about this one from a technical standpoint. BSD shot for a takedown in the opening seconds of the fight and foolishly left his neck exposed in the process. It's a mistake that can't be made at this level against an opponent with the grappling chops of Paddy. Saint-Denis entered having won four fights in a row and sporting a 9-3 record in his first dozen UFC bouts, so he's fine from that standpoint, but his lone victory that has aged well was his submission over Mauricio Ruffy last September.

JULY 12 • ROTOWIRE

Pimblett up next Saint-Denis will fight fellow lightweight Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, according to freelance journalist Marcel Dorff.

Impact Saint-Denis defeating Pimblett would not only boost the former up the UFC's lightweight rankings but also better his chances of a championship fight, considering the latter last fought current title challenger Justin Gaethje. Saint-Denis is on a four-fight win streak, all stoppages, with his latest victory a second-round TKO to promotion mainstay Dan Hooker.

MAY 1 • ROTOWIRE

Fourth straight stoppage win Saint-Denis defeated Dan Hooker via TKO (strikes) at 4:45 of Round 2 at UFC 325 on Saturday in Sydney, Australia.

Impact This one was a massive rout by the time all was said and done, but Saint-Denis and Hooker were actually involved in a closely contested bout for a round. BSD was his typical uber-aggressive self, but his takedown attempts seemed forced early on and Hooker responded with some massive strikes in return. Saint-Denis actually failed on all three of his attempts in Round 2, but he was eventually able to trap Hooker in a deep arm-triangle choke. The latter survived somehow, but BSD simply transferred to mount and unloaded unanswered blows until referee Herb Dean pulled the plug. Saint-Denis is risky on a fight-by-fight basis because he's always going to go for broke and let the chips fall where they may, but he's legitimately talented and has a deep gas tank. The 30-year-old has racked up four straight stoppage wins on the heels of a brief two-fight losing streak.

FEBRUARY 1 • ROTOWIRE

Gets another top contender Saint-Denis will take on Dan Hooker in a lightweight matchup at UFC 325 on Jan. 31, Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl reports.

Impact After dropping back-to-back fights in 2024, Saint-Denis has bounced back in emphatic fashion, picking up three straight stoppage victories, including a first-round knockout of Beneil Dariush at UFC 322 in November. He'll now draw Hooker, who lost a title eliminator to Arman Tsarukyan just a week later. BSD will give up slight height and reach advantages to Hooker, but he offers a much more significant grappling threat and technically has superior striking numbers -- both offensively and defensively. He'll likely enter as the betting favorite.

DECEMBER 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Third straight stoppage win Saint-Denis defeated Beneil Dariush via KO (punch) at 0:16 of Round 1 at UFC 322 on Saturday in New York City.

Impact BSD has some power, but he's not typically known as a one-punch knockout type of guy. Here, he was able to dispatch Dariush in seconds despite the fact the latter missed weight by by 1.2 pounds on Friday morning. Saint-Denis responded to a low kick and knee up the middle from Dariush with a left to the side of the head. Beneil went crumbling face down to the mat and was done for good following one follow-up shot. BSD's back-to-back knockout losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano last year are a thing of the past. Saint-Denis has won three in a row, all via stoppage, in the span of the past six months.

NOVEMBER 16, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Scheduled against heavier Dariush Saint-Denis is scheduled to compete against Beneil Dariush in a catchweight fight at UFC 322 in New York City on Saturday, MMA Fighting reports.

Impact Saint-Denis and Dariush were scheduled to compete in a lightweight fight for the UFC's annual event at Madison Square Garden. Dariush missed weight by 1.2 pounds, so a lightweight bout is no longer possible. Saint-Denis has agreed to a catchweight fight, with him receiving 20 percent of Dariush's purse. The former will look to finish his 2025 with a 3-0 record. Saint-Denis submitted Kyle Prepolec at UFC Montreal in May and did the same to Mauricio Ruffy just over three months later in Paris.

NOVEMBER 14, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Grapples way to upset victory Saint-Denis defeated Mauricio Ruffy via submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:56 of Round 2 at UFC Fight Night on Saturday in Paris.

Impact It's a massive rebound performance from Saint-Denis against a very dangerous opponent. Knowing full well of Ruffy's fight-altering power, BSD didn't mess around and went straight to his grappling game. He fired off one head kick early on to keep Ruffy off balance and went to wrestling from there. He got three takedowns with ease, the final of which put him in position to clamp on the rear-naked choke which ended the fight. It's easy to forget that Saint-Denis is still just 29 years old. He could very easily get back on track and make a run in a loaded lightweight division.

SEPTEMBER 6, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Benoit Saint-Denis embracing big fight at UFC Paris, "Pressure is a privelige." UFC Paris co-main event fighter Benoit Saint-Denis talks about his bout versus Mauricio Ruffy on Sept. 6 with MMA Junkie Radio and more.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

Banger alert: UFC Paris adds Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Mauricio Ruffy Fireworks are headed to the UFC's return to Paris

JULY 31, 2025 • USATODAY.COM

Fighting Ruffy in September Saint-Denis will take on Mauricio Ruffy at UFC Paris on September 6, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Saint-Denis will head into the fight looking to build positive momentum coming off a recent submission victory over Kyle Prepolec in May. The 29-year-old French fighter will have to overcome a slight reach disadvantage in comparison to the Brazilian. With a perfect 10-0 professional record in submission finishes, Saint-Denis will undoubtedly be looking to use the ground game to take down Ruffy, though he will have to remain wary of the Brazilian's stopping power (11-1 record in KO/TKO finishes).

JULY 31, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Dominates late-notice replacement Saint-Denis defeated Kyle Prepolec via submission (arm-triangle choke) at 2:35 of Round 2 at UFC 315 on Saturday in Montreal.

Impact Saint-Denis found himself in a very tough spot here. He agreed to face the returning Prepolec just a couple days ago following the withdrawal of Joel Alvarez (hand). He entered on a two-fight losing streak and had nothing to gain as a -1600 favorite. It set up as an ideal bounce-back spot for BSD, and to his credit, he took full advantage. He landed 3-of-5 takedown attempts and 5:32 worth of control time in a fight which lasted less than eight minutes. He connected on multiple huge elbows and closed the show with an arm-triangle choke. Perhaps the UFC will look to re-book the bout between he and Alvarez. It seems to be the fight that makes the most sense at the moment.

MAY 11, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Late re-booking for UFC 315 Saint-Denis will now take on Kyle Prepolec in a lightweight matchup at UFC 315 on Saturday in Montreal, Nolan King of USA Today reports.

Impact Originally scheduled for a matchup with Joel Alvarez, Saint-Denis was left without an opponent after a hand injury forced the former's withdrawal. In steps the 35-year-old Prepolec, who is a former UFC lightweight that has bounced around on the regional circuits for the last few years. It's the effectively the perfect bounce-back opportunity for Saint-Denis, who is on a two-fight skid but will be a massive favorite here.

MAY 6, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Won't face Joel Alvarez Saint-Denis won't face Joel Alvarez at UFC 315 in Montreal on May 10 due to a hand injury sustained by Alvarez, Irati Prat of MARCA reports.

Impact It's unclear if Saint-Denis will either fight against another opponent, or if the fight will be scrapped from the card. Saint-Denis slipped in 2024 with back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, so he definitely needed a positive outcome in his next fight, regardless of whether it's against Alvarez or somebody else.

MAY 3, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

Next fight scheduled Saint-Denis is scheduled to compete against fellow lightweight Joel Alvarez at UFC 315 in Montreal on May 10, per Marcel Dorff of Eurosport.nl.

Impact Saint-Denis slipped in 2024 with back-to-back losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. A win over Alvarez will definitely be needed just for the Frenchman to maintain legitimate contender status. Saint-Denis' next opponent is 7-1 in his last eight fights.

APRIL 1, 2025 • ROTOWIRE

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