Benoît Saint-Denis (born 18 December 1995), is a French professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpo ...

who competes in the

lightweight Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing. Boxing Professional boxing The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing. Notable lightweight b ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(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 The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed Force ...

officer An officer is a person who has a position of authority in a hierarchical organization. The term derives from Old French ''oficier'' "officer, official" (early 14c., Modern French ''officier''), from Medieval Latin ''officiarius'' "an officer," ...

practising

judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo") ...

at a good level, and his mother was a

teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. Saint-Denis practised judo in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

from the age of 8 to 16 and earned a black belt. He also played football and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...

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 The Army Special Forces Command (french: Commandement des forces spéciales Terre, COM FST) regroups the various special operations forces units of the French Army and is the command charged with overseeing them. It is based in Pau, Pyrénées ...

. He served in

Mali Mali (; ), officially the Republic of Mali,, , ff, 𞤈𞤫𞤲𞥆𞤣𞤢𞥄𞤲𞤣𞤭 𞤃𞤢𞥄𞤤𞤭, Renndaandi Maali, italics=no, ar, جمهورية مالي, Jumhūriyyāt Mālī is a landlocked country in West Africa. Ma ...

during the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

and more generally in

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mau ...

, fighting terrorist groups. He was awarded the

Medal of the Nation's gratitude The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude (french: "Medaille de Reconnaissance de la Nation") is a French state decoration established on 12 April 2002 by decree 2002-511 and awarded to civilians, veterans of civil or military service, and to members ...

and the

Combatant's cross The Combatant's Cross (french: "Croix du combattant") is a French decoration that recognizes, as its name implies, those who fought in combat for France. The Poilus (French combat soldiers) of World War I worked toward recognition by the govern ...

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 Kickboxing is a combat sport focused on kicking and punching. The combat takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouthguards, shorts, and bare feet to favour the use of kicks. Kickboxing is practiced for self-defense, general ...

with

Stéphane Susperregui Stéphane Ippo Susperregui (born 31 August 1984) is a French kickboxer. He is the current WKN World Oriental Rules Heavyweight and former WKA K-1 World Heavyweight champion. He is ranked as the fifth best light heavyweight in the world by Comba ...

and

Brazilian jiu-jitsu Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ; pt, jiu-jitsu brasileiro ) is a self-defence martial art and combat sport based on grappling, ground fighting ( ne-waza) and submission holds. BJJ focuses on the skill of taking an opponent to the ground, control ...

(BJJ) with Christophe Savoca in 2017 in the

Bayonne Bayonne (; eu, Baiona ; oc, label= Gascon, Baiona ; es, Bayona) is a city in Southwestern France near the Spanish border. It is a commune and one of two subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine ...

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 Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incor ...

and won the Invictus amateur tournament, on December 15, 2018 in San Sebastián,

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...

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 The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

and two at Strikeforce with MMA champions

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian-American mixed martial artist and boxer. He is a former UFC Middleweight Champion and holds the record for the longest title reign in UFC history at 2,457 days. This started in 2006 an ...

Dan Henderson Daniel Jeffery Henderson (born August 24, 1970) is an American retired mixed martial artist and Olympic wrestler, who last competed as a middleweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He was the last Strikeforce Light Heavyweight Cha ...

and

Lyoto Machida (born 30 May 1978), is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist and karateka, who currently competes in the Light heavyweight division. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light H ...

. Saint-Denis, ending his contract with the

army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

, decided to embark on a career as a professional

MMA fighter Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, incorpor ...

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

. 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 The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identified ...

. With Daniel Woirin, he stayed undefeated and went eight wins by finish in middleweight,

welterweight Welterweight is a weight class in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like Muay Thai, taekwondo, and mixed martial arts also use it for their own weight division system to classify the ...

and

super lightweight Light welterweight, also known as junior welterweight or super lightweight, is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional boxing In professional boxing, light welterweight is contested between the lightweight and welterweight divisions, ...

divisions half of them at the

Brave Combat Federation BRAVE Combat Federation is a mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion based in the Middle East. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from ...

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2021–present)

Saint-Denis made his

debut in the

division on short notice against

Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (born November 12, 1986) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist. He was the former Jungle Fight welterweight champion in Brazil and currently competes in welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). ...

on October 30, 2021 at

UFC 267 ''UFC 267: Błachowicz vs. Teixeira'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on October 30, 2021, at the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background This event took place ...

. 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 Niklas Stolze (born December 28, 1992) is a German mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division. A professional since 2014, he most notably competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Stolze began his caree ...

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 Christos Giagos (born January 23, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competes in the Lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Giagos was born and raised in Southern California. Giagos co ...

on September 3, 2022 at

UFC Fight Night 209 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 209'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 67'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 3, 2022, at Accor Arena in Paris, Fra ...

, in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...

. 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 UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

'' award. Saint-Denis was scheduled to face

Joe Solecki Joseph Anthony Solecki (born August 27, 1993) is an American professional mixed martial artist. Solecki currently competes in the Lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Solecki began training Brazilian Ji ...

on February 18, 2023 at

UFC Fight Night 219 ''UFC Fight Night: Andrade vs. Blanchfield'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 219'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 77'', and ''UFC Vegas 69'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 18, 2023, at ...

. However, Saint-Denis withdrew from the bout due to ankle injury. Saint-Denis was scheduled to face

Vinc Pichel Vincent Alan Pichel (born November 23, 1982) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2009, Pichel was also a contestan ...

on July 1, 2023, at

UFC on ESPN 48 ''UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 48'' and ''UFC Vegas 76'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on July 1, 2023, at the UFC Apex facility in Enterpris ...

. 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 Thiago Henrique Moisés (born 23 March 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. He has been a professional MMA competitor since 2012. Previously, he compet ...

on September 2, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 226, in

. 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 Matthew Kenneth Frevola (born June 11, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist currently competing in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor since 2014, he has also competed for th ...

on November 11, 2023 at UFC 295.

Mixed martial arts style

Saint-Denis mixed martial arts combat style is built around

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

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

career, Saint-Denis sometimes works as an instructor and a trainer for a French

private security company A private security company (PSC) is a business entity which provides armed or unarmed security services and expertise to clients in the private or public sectors. Overview Private security companies are defined by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stat ...

named Chiron. He married his fiancée Laura, a week before his fight at

. Laura is a former French international

futsal Futsal is a football-based game played on a hard court smaller than a football pitch, and mainly indoors. It has similarities to five-a-side football and indoor football. Futsal is played between two teams of five players each, one of whom is t ...

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 The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest a ...

. She was the first French female police officer undergoing

Special weapons and Tactics In the United States, a SWAT team (special weapons and tactics, originally special weapons assault team) is a police tactical unit that uses specialized or military equipment and tactics. Although they were first created in the 1960s to ...

(SWAT) course. The couple had a daughter in July 2023. Saint-Denis wears four tattoos: the

dagger A dagger is a fighting knife with a very sharp point and usually two sharp edges, typically designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon.State v. Martin, 633 S.W.2d 80 (Mo. 1982): This is the dictionary or popular-use de ...

from the

French Special Forces The Commandement des Opérations Spéciales ( en, Special Operations Command) or COS is a joint staff charged with overseeing the various special forces of the French Army, Navy and Air and Space Force, bringing them all under a single operationa ...

, the

samurai helmet ' (兜, 冑) is a type of helmet first used by ancient Japanese warriors which, in later periods, became an important part of the traditional Japanese armour worn by the samurai class and their retainers in feudal Japan. Note that in the J ...

from his first BJJ club,

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= �an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the corona ...

for chivalrous spirit, and a

Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

cross reminding the security missions he carried out in

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(One time) ** Fight of the Night (One time) **First French fighter to compete and to win on a UFC card in France. *

**2020 Brave CF Submission of the Year.

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 12–1 (1) ,

, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivak , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 4:44 ,

, 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 Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vega ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, , Gabriel Miranda , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:16 ,

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 (1) ,

, Submission (rear-naked choke) , UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:32 ,

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 8–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 8–0 (1) , Arkaitz Ramos , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Brave CF 52 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:09 ,

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

, Italy , , - , Win , align=center, 7–0 (1) , Luan Santiago , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , Brave CF 49 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 3:51 ,

Arad Arad or ARAD may refer to: People * Arad (given name) * Arad (surname) Places and jurisdictions Bahrain * Arad, Bahrain, a village in Al Muharraq Governorate * Arad Fort, located on Arad shore * Arad Island, a former member of the Bahrain Islan ...

, 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 Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the a ...

, 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 Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north ...

, Romania , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Ibragim Baisarov , Submission (armbar) , European Beatdown 7 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:47 ,

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. ...

, Belgium , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Antoine Bensimon , Submission (guillotine choke) , Vic Fight: French Championship 2019 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 4:00 ,

Longjumeau Longjumeau () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants of Longjumeau are known as ''Longjumellois'' (). History Longjumeau Party School In 1911, Lenin founded the Longjumeau ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Artur Szczepaniak , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Staredown FC 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 , Antwerp, Belgium , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Marc Domon , Submission (guillotine choke) , Lions FC 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:29 ,

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, , ; german: Neuenburg) is the capital of the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel, situated on the shoreline of Lake Neuchâtel. Since the fusion in 2021 of the municipalities of Neuchâtel, Corcelles-Cormondrèche, Peseux, and Valangin, ...

, Switzerland ,

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Denis, Benoit 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