Benoît Saint-Denis

Benoît Saint-Denis (born 18 December 1995), is a French professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He is the first French fighter having competed and won on a UFC card on the French soil.
Early life
Benoît Saint-Denis was born in Nîmes, on December 18, 1995. His father was a French Army officer practising judo at a good level, and his mother was a teacher. Saint-Denis practised judo in France and Germany from the age of 8 to 16 and earned a black belt. He also played football and rugby union in his youth.
Prior to his MMA career, Saint-Denis was a member of the 1st Marine Infantry Paratroopers Regiment, a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command. He served in Mali during the war and more generally in West Africa, fighting terrorist groups. He was awarded the Medal of the Nation's gratitude and the Combatant's cross in September 2017. He left the Army after five years of service in March 2019.
Mixed martial arts career
BJJ and MMA debut (2017–2018)
Saint-Denis began kick-boxing with Stéphane Susperregui and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) with Christophe Savoca in 2017 in the Bayonne region close to his regiment.
He also competed in BJJ, winning the medium-heavyweight (under 88,3 kg/194 lbs) division, in blue belt, at the 2017 West Zone Championship in France, he also participated in the 2017 Paris International Open IBJJF Jiu Jitsu No Gi Championship, in the medium-heavyweight (under 88,3 kg/194 lbs) division, taking 3rd place.
He won the middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) division, at blue belt, in the absolute category, and took 2nd place on the regular category at the 2018 West Zone Championship in France.
He was also the winner of both GI and NO Gi in the 2019 France National Championship, at blue belt in the middleweight (under 82,3 kg/181 lbs) division.
He also participated in two shows for ACB JJ notably facing Yusup Raisov, losing by points.
In 2018, he tried MMA and won the Invictus amateur tournament, on December 15, 2018 in San Sebastián, Spain.
Early MMA career (2019–2021)
Late 2018, Saint-Denis stood out among sixty fighters during a test organized by Daniel Woirin, a French coach renowned for having won three belts at UFC and two at Strikeforce with MMA champions Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida. Saint-Denis, ending his contract with the army, decided to embark on a career as a professional MMA fighter early 2019. He gave himself two years to break through to the highest level in MMA. Two years was the time he had with his savings to train full time and get signed by the UFC.
He joined the Bulgarian Top Team of French manager Giom Peltier and won six fights in eleven months. Then the pace of the fights slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With Daniel Woirin, he stayed undefeated and went eight wins by finish in middleweight, welterweight and super lightweight divisions half of them at the Brave Combat Federation.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (2021–present)
Saint-Denis made his UFC debut in the welterweight division on short notice against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on October 30, 2021 at UFC 267. After nearly being finished multiple times in the second round, Saint-Denis lost the fight via unanimous decision.
Cutting to lightweight, Saint-Denis faced Niklas Stolze on June 4, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik. He won the bout after submitting Stolze via rear-naked choke in the second round.
He was scheduled to face Christos Giagos on September 3, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 209, in Paris. However, Giagos pulled out in August after severing a tendon of his little finger during a domestic accident. Consequently, Saint-Denis faced Gabriel Miranda. He won the fight via technical knockout in the early second round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.
Saint-Denis was scheduled to face Joe Solecki on February 18, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 219. However, Saint-Denis withdrew from the bout due to ankle injury.
Saint-Denis was scheduled to face Vinc Pichel on July 1, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 48. However, Pichel pulled out in late-May due to injury and was replaced by Ismael Bonfim. Saint-Denis won the fight via a first round rear-naked choke submission.
For the beginning of his second contract with the UFC, Saint-Denis faced Thiago Moisés on September 2, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 226, in Paris. He won the fight by TKO at the second round. This fight earned him the Fight of the Night bonus award.
He is scheduled to face Matt Frevola on November 11, 2023 at UFC 295.
Mixed martial arts style
Saint-Denis mixed martial arts combat style is built around wrestling and submissions, and though he’s willing to stand and trade, he typically uses his striking to force opponents to the fence so he can look for takedowns and submissions.
Saint-Denis is a Finisher. He exerts constant pressure on his opponent until he manages to finish him, ignoring counter strikes. This materializes in all twelve wins by finish including three knockouts and nine submissions. Half of them occurred within the first round.
Saint-Denis chose God of War nickname, on the advice of his brothers, after his third professional victory. This is reflecting his Special Force and MMA warrior attitude.
Saint-Denis walkout track is based on the French Commandos’ song and Seine St.Denis style from the Hip hop group Supreme NTM.
Personal life
Besides his MMA career, Saint-Denis sometimes works as an instructor and a trainer for a French private security company named Chiron.
He married his fiancée Laura, a week before his fight at UFC Fight Night 209. Laura is a former French international futsal player who won the European Champions league with Toulouse Metropole FC. She is now working as a dog trainer and shooting instructor in the police. She was the first French female police officer undergoing Special weapons and Tactics (SWAT) course. The couple had a daughter in July 2023.
Saint-Denis wears four tattoos: the dagger from the French Special Forces, the samurai helmet from his first BJJ club, Joan of Arc for chivalrous spirit, and a Templar cross reminding the security missions he carried out in Mali.
Championships and accomplishments
Mixed martial arts
Ultimate Fighting Championship
Performance of the Night (One time)
Fight of the Night (One time) and Fight of the Month
First French fighter to compete and to win on a UFC card in France.
Brave Combat Federation
2020 Brave CF Submission of the Year.
Mixed martial arts record
|-
| Win
| align=center| 12–1 (1)
| Thiago Moisés
| TKO (punches)
| UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivak
|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 4:44
| Paris, France
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 11–1 (1)
| Ismael Bonfim
| Submission (face crank)
| UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 4:48
| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
| Win
| align=center|
| Gabriel Miranda
| TKO (punches)
| UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa
|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 0:16
| Paris, France
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 9–1 (1)
| Niklas Stolze
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik
|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 1:32
| Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
|
|-
| Loss
| align=center| 8–1 (1)
| Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
| Decision (unanimous)
| UFC 267
|
| align=center| 3
| align=center| 5:00
| Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 8–0 (1)
| Arkaitz Ramos Gudari
| Submission (arm-triangle choke)
| Brave CF 52
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 3:09
| Milan, Italy
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 7–0 (1)
| Luan Santiago
| Submission (arm-triangle choke)
| Brave CF 49
|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 3:51
| Arad, Bahrain
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 6–0 (1)
| Mario Saeed
| TKO (punches)
| Brave CF 38
|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 1:49
| Stockholm, Sweden
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 5–0 (1)
| Ivica Trušček
| Submission (kneebar)
| Brave CF 34
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 3:39
| Ljubljana, Slovenia
|
|-
| NC
| align=center| 4–0 (1)
| Paweł Kiełek
| NC (accidental clash of heads)
| Brave CF 28
|
| align=center| 2
| align=center| 5:00
| Bucharest, Romania
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 4–0
| Ibragim Baisarov
| Submission (armbar)
| European Beatdown 7
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 2:47
| Mons, Belgium
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 3–0
| Antoine Bensimon
| Submission (guillotine choke)
| Vic Fight: French Championship 2019
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 4:00
| Longjumeau, France
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 2–0
| Artur Szczepaniak
| Submission (rear-naked choke)
| Staredown Fighting Championship 14
|
| align=center| 3
| align=center| 3:00
| Antwerp, Belgium
|
|-
| Win
| align=center| 1–0
| Marc Domont
| Technical Submission (guillotine choke)
| Lions Fighting Championship 8
|
| align=center| 1
| align=center| 3:29
| Neuchâtel, Switzerland
|
|-
See also
List of current UFC fighters
List of male mixed martial artists
Notes
References
External links
Living people
1995 births
French male mixed martial artists
Lightweight mixed martial artists
Welterweight mixed martial artists
Middleweight mixed martial artists
Mixed martial artists utilizing judo
Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing
Mixed martial artists utilizing boxing
Mixed martial artists utilizing wrestling
Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters
French male judoka
French practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Sportspeople from Nîmes
French Army personnel
Special forces of France