Benoit Saint-Denis
God of War
France
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.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.
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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.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.
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.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.
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.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.
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.
ANALYSIS
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 Friday morning. Saint-Denis responded to a low kick and knee up the middle from Dariush with a left hand 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. He'll also take home a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts here.
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 Friday morning. Saint-Denis responded to a low kick and knee up the middle from Dariush with a left hand 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. He'll also take home a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus for his efforts here.
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.
ANALYSIS
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.
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.