Benoît Saint-Denis

Benoît Saint-Denis (born December 18, 1995) is a French professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

Benoît Saint-Denis
Saint-Denis in 2022
BornBenoît Saint-Denis[1]
(1995-12-18) December 18, 1995
Nîmes, France
Other namesGod of War
ResidenceÎle-de-France, France
NationalityFrench
Height5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb)
DivisionLightweight (2022–present)
Super Lightweight (2021)
Welterweight (2019, 2021)
Super Welterweight[lower-alpha 1] (2020)
Middleweight (2019)
Reach73 in (185 cm)[2]
Fighting out ofParis, France
TeamWoirin Team Elite (2019–present)[2]
Venum Training Camp (2019–2021)[3]
TrainerDaniel Woirin for MMA, boxing and kickboxing;[4]

Christophe Savoca for BJJ;[4]
Saint-Denis is supported by the following French Trainers:[5] Maxime François from the national wrestling team;[6]
Fabien Bérenguel for cross-training;[7]

Maxime Petit for mental training.[8]
RankBlack belt in Judo[9]
Brown belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Christophe Savoca[10]
Years active2019–present
Mixed martial arts record
Total12
Wins10
By knockout2
By submission8
Losses1
By decision1
No contests1
Other information
SpouseLaura "Lalou" Saint-Denis[11]
Mixed martial arts record from Sherdog

Early life

Benoît Saint-Denis was born in Nîmes, on December 18, 1995.[12] His father was a French Army officer practising judo at a good level, and his mother was a teacher. He practised judo from the age of 8 to 16 and earned a black belt.[9] He also played football and rugby union in his youth.[13]

Prior to his MMA career, Benoît 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.[11] 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.[14]

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Saint Denis began kick-boxing with Stephane Susperregui and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) with Christophe Savoca in 2018 in the Bayonne region where his regiment is located.[15][16] He also tried MMA and won the Invictus amateur tournament, on December 15, 2018 in San Sebastian, Spain.[17]

He 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.[18] 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.[19][20]

He joined the Bulgarian Top Team of French manager Giom Peltier and won six fights in eleven months.[21] Then the pace of the fights slowed down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20] With Daniel Woirin, he stayed undefeated in welterweight and super lightweight divisions at the Brave Combat Federation.[22]

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu

Benoit also competed in BJJ before his MMA career, 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.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Saint-Denis made his UFC debut against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on October 30, 2021 at UFC 267. After nearly being finished multiple times throughout the fight, Saint-Denis lost the fight via unanimous decision.[23]

Saint-Denis faced Niklas Stolze on June 4, 2022 at UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik.[24] He won the bout after submitting Stolze in the second round.[25]

He was scheduled to face Christos Giagos on September 3, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 209, in Paris.[26] However, Giagos pulled out in early August after severing a tendon of his little finger during a domestic accident. Consequently, Saint-Denis faced Gabriel Miranda.[27] He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round.[28] This win earned him the Performance of the Night award.[29]

Saint-Denis was scheduled to face Joe Solecki on February 18, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 219.[30] However, Saint-Denis withdrew from the bout citing ankle injury.[31] He is now scheduled to face Vinc Pichel on July 1, 2023 at UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov, in Las Vegas.[32]

Saint-Denis is scheduled to face Vinc Pichel on July 1, 2023, at UFC on ESPN 48.[33]

Mixed martial arts style

Saint-Denis has bright spots as a striker but is a far more comfortable grappler.[34] Indeed, his MMA 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.[22]

Personal life

Besides his MMA career, Saint-Denis works as an instructor and a trainer for a French private security company named Chiron.[35][36]

He married his fiancée Laura, a week before his fight at UFC Fight Night 209.[37][38][39] Laura is a former French international futsal player who won the European Champions league with Toulouse Metropole FC,[40] She is now working as a dog trainer in the police. She was the first French female police officer undergoing Special weapons and Tactics (SWAT) course.[41]

He 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.[19][42]

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Mixed martial arts record
Professional record breakdown
12 matches 10 wins 1 loss
By knockout 2 0
By submission 8 0
By decision 0 1
No contests 1
Res. Record Opponent Method Event Date Round Time Location Notes
Win 10–1 (1) Gabriel Miranda TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa September 3, 2022 2 0:16 Paris, France Performance of the Night.
Win 9–1 (1) Niklas Stolze Submission (rear-naked choke) UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik June 4, 2022 2 1:32 Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Lightweight debut.
Loss 8–1 (1) Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Decision (unanimous) UFC 267 October 30, 2021 3 5:00 Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Welterweight bout. dos Santos was deducted 1 point in round 3 due to a groin strike.
Win 8–0 (1) Arkaitz Ramos Submission (arm-triangle choke) Brave CF 52 August 1, 2021 1 3:09 Milan, Italy
Win 7–0 (1) Luan Santiago Submission (arm-triangle choke) Brave CF 49 March 25, 2021 2 3:51 Arad, Bahrain Super Lightweight (165 lb) debut.
Win 6–0 (1) Mario Saeed TKO (punches) Brave CF 38 August 8, 2020 2 1:49 Stockholm, Sweden
Win 5–0 (1) Ivica Trušček Submission (kneebar) Brave CF 34 January 19, 2020 1 3:39 Ljubljana, Slovenia
NC 4–0 (1) Paweł Kiełek NC (accidental clash of heads) Brave CF 28 November 4, 2019 2 5:00 Bucharest, Romania
Win 4–0 Ibragim Baisarov Submission (armbar) European Beatdown 7 October 12, 2019 1 2:47 Mons, Belgium -
Win 3–0 Antoine Bensimon Submission (guillotine choke) Trophée de France June 15, 2019 1 4:00 Longjumeau, France -
Win 2–0 Artur Szczepaniak Submission (rear-naked choke) Staredown FC 14 March 21, 2019 3 3:00 Antwerp, Belgium Welterweight debut. Won the SFC Welterweight Championship.
Win 1–0 Marc Domon Submission (guillotine choke) Lions FC 8 February 16, 2019 1 3:29 Neuchâtel, Switzerland Middleweight debut.

[45]

See also

Notes
  1. While competing for Brave CF, Saint-Denis competes at 175 lbs (79.4 kg). Brave CF refers to their 175 lb weight class as Welterweight, but per the Association of Boxing Commissions in the United States, 175 lbs is considered Super Welterweight.

References
  1. Mixed martial arts show results Date: June 04, 2022
  2. "Benoît Saint-Denis ("God of War") – MMA Fighter Page". Tapology. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  3. "Athlete Benoît Saint-Denis". Venum. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  4. Benoît Saint-Denis est à la Bagarre : L'analyse de son combat à l'UFC VEGAS 56 + 1Surprise !, retrieved 2022-08-16
  5. Interview croisées - Benoît Saint Denis X Daniel Woirin, retrieved 2022-08-16
  6. "Fiche de Maxime FRANCOIS". FranceOlympique.com (in French). Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  7. "Interview Fabien Bérenguel, préparateur physique de Benoît Saint-Denis – Preparation et conseils pour le MMA" (in French). Retrieved 2022-08-16.
  8. "UFC - Les combattants de MMA connaissent-ils la peur dans la cage ?". Eurosport (in French). 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
  9. La Sueur (17 June 2022). Interview Benoît Saint Denis : "J'irai jusqu'au bout" (in French) – via YouTube.
  10. Benoît Saint-Denis [@benoitst_denis] (12 July 2022). "First week of my training camp for @ufc @ufcfra Paris. Back to the roots @masterless_academy. Proud to become a Brown belt under @chris.savocabjj. The Fighting Life is a long journey, i'm happy to be well surounded" – via Instagram.
  11. Fandre, Charles (11 December 2021). "MMA : Benoît Saint-Denis, la résilience d'un guerrier, des forces spéciales à l'UFC". France Info (in French). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  12. Odola, Octave (25 March 2021). "MMA : Benoît Saint-Denis, un "God of War" des forces spéciales dans l'arène". Le Parisien (in French). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  13. Biomécanique (14 March 2022). #116 Benoit Saint Denis - Des forces spéciales à l’UFC, parcours d’un guerrier combattant (in French) – via YouTube.
  14. Le chef du service administration du personnel du GSBdD PAU (13 February 2019). Etat signalétique et des services (in French). Armée de Terre.
  15. God of War 2 : Qui ose gagne (UFC), retrieved 2022-08-13
  16. "Getting to Know "The God Of War" Benoit Saint-Denis". Overtime Heroics. 2020-12-14. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  17. Interview Benoît Saint Denis : "J'irai jusqu'au bout", retrieved 2022-08-13
  18. "Qui est Daniel Woirin, l'entraineur de Benoit Saint-Denis ?" (in French). 2022-07-27. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  19. "Benoît Saint-Denis, ex-special forces, before UFC 267: "I want to leave my mark on the UFC"". 2021-10-30. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  20. Interview Benoit Saint Denis GOD OF WAR, retrieved 2022-08-15
  21. Sherdog.com. "Benoit". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  22. Beaupre, Drew (2021-10-30). "Octagon Oracles: Benoit Saint-Denis". MMA-Prospects.com. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  23. Bitter, Shawn (30 October 2022). "UFC 267 Results: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Dominates Benoit Saint-Denis". Cageside Press. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  24. Arshad (25 April 2022). "Niklas Stolze vs Benoit St. Denis Set for June 4 UFC Event". ITN WWE. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  25. Anderson, Jay (4 June 2022). "UFC Vegas 56: Benoit Saint-Denis Submits Niklas Stolze for First UFC Win". Cageside Press. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  26. Hannoun, Farah (22 July 2022). "Christos Giagos vs. Benoit Saint-Denis added to UFC Paris on Sept. 3". MMA Junkie. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  27. Duncan, Steve (15 August 2022). "Giagos lesionado, Gabriel Miranda enfrenta a Benoit St-Denis en UFC Paris". mma.uno (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 August 2022. (in Spanish)
  28. Bourlon, Antoine (3 September 2022). "Benoît Saint-Denis, premier Français sur la carte de l'UFC Paris, expéditif face à Gabriel Miranda". L'Équipe (in French). Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  29. Matthew Wells (2022-09-03). "UFC Fight Night 209 bonuses: Ciryl Gane, Tai Tuivasa's slugfest takes FOTN". mmajunkie.usatoday.com. Retrieved 2022-09-03.
  30. "UFC: Benoît Saint-Denis de retour dans la cage le 18 février contre Solecki". RMC Sport (in French). Retrieved 2022-11-04.
  31. "UFC: Benoît Saint-Denis forfait pour son combat du 18 février". RMC Sport (in French). Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  32. Martin, Damon (2023-05-17). "Vinc Pichel vs. Benoit Saint-Denis booked for UFC card on July 1". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-19.
  33. Martin, Damon (2023-05-17). "Vinc Pichel vs. Benoit Saint-Denis booked for UFC card on July 1". MMA Fighting. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  34. Bitter, Shawn (2021-10-29). "Welcome to the UFC: Benoit Saint-Denis". Cageside Press. Retrieved 2022-08-13.
  35. La Sueur (28 October 2021). Benoît St-Denis sort l'artillerie lourde, combattant UFC et Forces Spéciales ! – La Sueur En Sueur (in French) – via YouTube.
  36. "Notre équipe". Chiron (in French). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  37. Malice, Florent (6 June 2022). "Benoît Saint-Denis demande l'UFC... Londres, pas Paris : les raisons". La Sueur (in French). Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  38. "MMA : "On a des combattants solides et on va le prouver", le champion Benoît Saint-Denis se prépare pour le premier combat UFC en France". Franceinfo (in French). 2022-08-14. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  39. Saint-Denis, Benoît [@benoitst_denis] (28 August 2022). "Nous nous sommes dit OUI pour l'éternité devant Dieu & nos Familles" [We both said 'yes' for all eternity before God and our families.] (in French). Domaine Mas Auroux, Claret. Retrieved 30 August 2022 – via Instagram.
  40. "TOULOUSE METROPOLE FC CHAMPION D'EUROPE ! | ASSOCIATION FRANCAISE DE FUTSAL" (in French). Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  41. "La Toulousaine Laura Proudhom est la première femme policière municipale de France à décrocher un brevet américain". France 3 Occitanie (in French). Retrieved 2022-08-15.
  42. "Des Forces Spéciales aux arts martiaux, ce jeune homme a la foi pour arme de combat". Famille Chrétienne (in French). 2022-11-15. Retrieved 2022-11-15.
  43. Sherdog.com. "Fight Facts: UFC Fight Night 209 'Gane vs. Tuivasa'". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
  44. BRAVE Combat Federation [@bravemmaf] (30 December 2020). "BRAVE Nation, Here's your Submission of the Year for the 2020 BRAVE CF Year of Change Awards -Benoit St. Denis. Benoit St. Denis earned his first BRAVE CF win in exquisite fashion as he locked in a kneebar against Ivica Truscek at #BRAVECF34! Congratulations to @benoitst_denis" – via Instagram.
  45. Sherdog.com. "Benoit". Sherdog. Retrieved 2022-08-09.
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