Benoît Saint Denis (born December 18, 1995), also known by his initials BSD, is a French professional

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

and former French Army Special Forces veteran who currently competes in the

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

division of the

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

(UFC). As of March 11, 2025, he is #13 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Background

Benoît Saint Denis was born in

Nîmes Nîmes ( , ; ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Gard Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Located between the Med ...

, on December 18, 1995, as the eldest of five brothers. His father was a

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...

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," fro ...

who practiced

judo is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, 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 Encyc ...

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 trained in judo in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

beginning at the age of 8 and earned a black belt. He also played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

and

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

in his youth. Prior to his MMA career, Saint Denis was a member of the

1st Marine Infantry Paratroopers Regiment The 1st Marine Infantry Parachute Regiment () or 1er RPIMa is a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command, therefore part of the Special Operations Command. Heirs to the Free French paratroopers of the 3rd and 4th squadrons of the Specia ...

, a unit of the French Army Special Forces Command. He served as a French Special Air Service (SAS) operator in

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

during the

war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...

and more generally in

West Africa West Africa, also known as Western Africa, is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations geoscheme for Africa#Western Africa, United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Gha ...

, fighting terrorist groups. He was awarded the

Medal of the Nation's gratitude The Medal of the Nation's Gratitude () 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 of the French armed forces previously awarded the ...

and the

Combatant's cross The Combatant's Cross () 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 government, of a special status to t ...

in September 2017. He left the army after five years of service in March 2019.

Early kickboxing and BJJ career

Saint Denis began

kick-boxing Kickboxing ( ) is a full-contact hybrid martial art and boxing type based on punching and kicking. Kickboxing originated in the 1950s to 1970s. The fight takes place in a boxing ring, normally with boxing gloves, mouth guards, shorts, and ba ...

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 (BJJ) with Christophe Savoca in 2017 in the

Bayonne Bayonne () is a city in southwestern France near the France–Spain border, Spanish border. It is a communes of France, commune and one of two subprefectures in France, subprefectures in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques departments of France, departm ...

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 participated in the 2017

IBJJF The International Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Federation (IBJJF) is a for-profit company that hosts several of the biggest Brazilian jiu-jitsu tournaments in the world, including the World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, World No-Gi Championship, Pan Jiu-Jitsu ...

Paris International Open 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 won the medium-heavyweight division, in blue belt, at the

Paris International Open Gi Championship in Spring 2018. He was also the winner of both gi and no-gi divisions 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 September 2017, he started

MMA Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

initially to improve his SAS close combat skills and tested himself in the Invictus XV 8-men amateur tournament winning the first two matches by submission and the final by decision, against an opponent with pro experience on the

middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have beg ...

division on December 16, 2017, in

San Sebastián San Sebastián, officially known by the bilingual name Donostia / San Sebastián (, ), is a city and municipality located in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Biscay, from the France–Spain border ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Passionate about MMA, he was thinking of making it his career. In July 2018, Christophe Savoca asked Luiz Tosta, a Brazilian colleague to host Saint Denis for a week at his MMA gym in London, Shootfighters, where

Michael Page Michael Jerome Reece-Pagewkaassociation.com, Retrieved 28 August 2017. (born 7 April 1987), known as Michael "Venom" Page or MVP, is an English professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Welterweight and Middleweight divi ...

is training. The Brazilian confirmed that Saint Denis was capable of launching into professional MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

In September 2018, Saint Denis stood out among thirty 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 TKO Group Holdings, a majority owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. The larg ...

and two at

Strikeforce Strike Force may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Games *Strike Force (video game), ''Strike Force'' (video game), a 1991 arcade game *''Commandos: Strike Force'', a 2006 video game *''Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce'', a 2009 video game *' ...

with MMA champions

Anderson Silva Anderson da Silva (; born 14 April 1975) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist and professional 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 ...

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

and

Lyoto Machida is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he was a former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion, as well as a UFC Middleweight Championship title challenger. He mos ...

. Saint Denis, ending his contract with the

army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, 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

. 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 and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

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

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 th ...

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 Bahrain. The organization was established on 23 September 2016 by Sheikh Khalid bin Hamad Al Khalifa. BRAVE Combat Federation features mixed martial artists from more than ...

, where he ended up as the #1 Title contender of the

division at the time he accepted to join the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

2021

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 the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UF ...

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 ...

. He lost the fight via

unanimous decision A unanimous decision (UD) is a winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts and other sports involving striking and submission in which all three judges agree on which fighte ...

2022

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 The rear naked choke (RNC), also known as hadaka jime (裸絞) in Judo and "lion killer choke (Mata Leão)" in BJJ, is a chokehold in martial arts applied from an opponent's back. The word ''naked'' in this context suggests that, unlike other stra ...

in the second

round Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * Having no sharp corners, as an ellipse, circle, or sphere * Rounding, reducing the number of significant figures in a number * Round number, ending with one or more zeroes * Round (crypt ...

. He was scheduled to face

Christos Giagos Christos Giagos (born January 23, 1990) is an American professional mixed martial artist who competed 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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. However, Giagos pulled out in August after a domestic accident. Consequently, Saint Denis faced Gabriel Miranda. He won the fight via

technical knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, a ...

in the early second round. This win earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award.

2023

Saint Denis was scheduled to face

Joe Solecki Joe Solecki (born August 27, 1993) is an American retired professional mixed martial artist. A professional from 2016 to 2025, Solecki was most notable for his time in the Lightweight division for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Backg ...

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, he withdrew from the bout due to

ankle injury A sprained ankle (twisted ankle, rolled ankle, turned ankle, etc.) is an injury where sprain occurs on one or more ligaments of the ankle. It is the most commonly occurring injury in sports, mainly in ball sports (basketball, volleyball, and foot ...

. Saint Denis was scheduled to face

Vinc Pichel Vincent Alan Pichel (born November 23, 1982) is an American former professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, achieving a 7-5 record in the promotion. A professional since 200 ...

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 Thiago Moisés (born 23 March 1995) is a Brazilian mixed martial artist who currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional since 2012. He Previously competed for the promotions RFA and LFA. B ...

on September 2, 2023, at

UFC Fight Night 226 ''UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 226'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 84'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 2, 2023, at the Accor Arena in Paris, ...

, in

. He won the fight by TKO at the second round. This fight earned him the '' Fight of the Night'' bonus award. Saint Denis faced

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 (UFC). A professional since 2014, he has also competed for the Wor ...

on November 11, 2023, at UFC 295. He won the fight via knockout in the first round and the victory earned him the '' Performance of the Night'' award. Frevola signed off with a salute to Saint Denis who responded in kind during this

veterans day Veterans Day (originally known as Armistice Day) is a federal holiday in the United States observed annually on November 11, for honoring military veterans of the United States Armed Forces. It coincides with holidays in several countries, i ...

2024

For the beginning of his third contract with the UFC, Saint Denis faced

Dustin Poirier Dustin Glenn Poirier (born January 19, 1989) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Lightweight Champion. ...

in a 5-round co-main for UFC 299 on March 9, 2024. According to

, the fight was initially pencilled at the start of the main card of

UFC 300 ''UFC 300: Pereira vs. Hill'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Valley, United States. Background Ma ...

scheduled on April 13, 2024, at the

T-Mobile Arena T-Mobile Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Paradise, Nevada, United States. Opened on April 6, 2016, it is the home arena of the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). A joint venture between MGM Resorts International ...

Paradise, Nevada Paradise is an Unincorporated towns in Nevada, unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Clark County, Nevada, United States, adjacent to the city of Las Vegas. It was formed on December 8, 1950. Its population was 191,238 at the ...

. After discussions, the fight was officially announced for UFC 299. Saint Denis lost the fight by knockout in the second round; however it earned him another '' Fight of the Night award''. Saint Denis faced

Renato Moicano Renato Alves Carneiro (born May 21, 1989), known as Renato Moicano, is a Brazilian professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2010, Moic ...

on September 28, 2024, in the main event of

UFC Fight Night 243 '' UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 243'' and ''UFC on ESPN+ 101'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 28, 2024, at the Accor Aren ...

. He lost the fight by technical knockout due to doctor stoppage at the end of the second round as a result of damage done to his right eye.

2025

Saint Denis was scheduled to face

Joel Álvarez Joel Álvarez González (born March 2, 1993) is a Spanish professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of April 15, 2025, he is #15 in the UFC lightweight ra ...

on May 10, 2025 at

UFC 315 ''UFC 315: Muhammad vs. Della Maddalena'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on May 10, 2025, at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Background The event marked the promotion's ...

. However, Álvarez withdrew due to a hand injury the week before and was replaced by

Kyle Prepolec Kyle Prepolec (born August 30, 1989) is a Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who competes in the Ultimate Fighting Championship's (UFC) Lightweight division. He is the current SMMA Lightweight Champion and had previously won the BTC Catchw ...

. He won the fight via an arm-triangle choke submission in the second round.

Professional grappling career

Saint Denis faced

Marc Diakiese Marc Diakiese (born 16 March 1993) is an English professional mixed martial artist who is signed with the Professional Fighters League (PFL) as a lightweight. He formerly competed for the Ultimate Fighting Championship and Caged Steel and BAMMA. ...

in the no gi main event of ADXC 4 on May 18, 2024. He won the match by unanimous decision.

Mixed martial arts style

Saint Denis fights in a

Southpaw stance In boxing and some other sports, a southpaw stance is a stance in which the boxer has the right hand and the right foot forward, leading with right jabs, and following with a left cross (boxing), cross right hook (boxing), hook. It is the normal ...

. His mixed martial arts combat style is built around

wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...

and

submissions Submission is the acknowledgement of the legitimacy of the power of one's superior or superiors. Submission may also refer to: Films * Submission (1976 film), ''Submission'' (1976 film), an Italian erotic drama film * Submission (2004 film), ''Su ...

, and though he is 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 thirteen wins by finish including four 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 reflects his military background and MMA

warrior A warrior is a guardian specializing in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal society, tribal or clan-based warrior culture society that recognizes a separate warrior aristocracy, social class, class, or caste. History ...

attitude. Saint Denis' walkout track is based on the French ''Commandos''’ song and ''Seine Saint-Denis Style'' from the french

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Suprême NTM Suprême NTM (), or simply NTM, is a French hip hop band formed in 1989 in Saint-Denis, Île-de-France. The band comprises rappers JoeyStarr and Kool Shen. Their 6 albums were released by Sony Music. The group takes its name from the French ...

. File:Benoît Saint Denis middle kick training with head coach Daniel Woirin.jpg, MMA and striking under Daniel Woirin File:Christophe Savoca explaining grappling to Benoît Saint Denis.jpg, Grappling and BJJ under Christophe Savoca File:Benoît Saint Denis lutte contre la cage.jpg, Wrestling File:Benoit Saint Denis à l'entraînement.jpg, Sparring

Personal life

Besides his

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

private security company A private security company 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 Statisti ...

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

. The couple had a daughter in July 2023. Laura is a former French international

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

player who won the European Champions league with Toulouse Metropole FC. She was working as a dog trainer and shooting instructor in the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

and she was the first French female police officer undergoing

Special weapons and Tactics A SWAT (''Special Weapons and Tactics'') team is a generic term for a police tactical unit within the United States, though the term has also been used by other nations. SWAT units are generally trained, equipped, and deployed to reso ...

(SWAT) course. Holding a master's degree in Sports Management, she is Saint Denis' agent, handling his sponsors and social networks. Saint Denis has four tattoos: the

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

from the

French Special Forces The Commandement des Opérations Spéciales (, "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 that, 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 Japa ...

from his first BJJ club,

Joan of Arc Joan of Arc ( ; ; – 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 Coronation of the French monarch, coronation of Charles VII o ...

for chivalrous spirit, and a

Templar The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a military order of the Catholic faith, and one of the most important military orders in Western Christianity. They were founded in 11 ...

cross as a reminder of the security missions he carried out in

. In 2024, at the request of the

French Armed Forces The French Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of France. They consist of four military branches – the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force, and the National Gendarmerie. The National Guard serves as the French Armed Forces' milita ...

, he sponsored the French military MMA team, supported wounded soldiers' charities and participated in the Army's recruitment effort.

Media

Video games

Books

* Saint Denis wrote the introduction for the French edition of Tim Kennedy's "Scars and Stripes: An Unapologetically American Story of Fighting the Taliban, UFC Warriors, and Myself" * In 2024, Saint Denis released an autobiographic comic strip "Benoit Saint Denis, God of War "

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

** Performance of the Night (Two times) ***Performance of the Month (One time) ** Fight of the Night (Two times) ***Fight of the Month (One time) **Fifth highest Striking differencial in UFC Lightweight division history (2.55) **Second highest significant strike accuracy in UFC Lightweight division history (59%) **First French Fighter to compete and to win on a UFC card in France **First French Fighter to be ranked in the lightweight division **UFC Honors Awards *** 2024: President's Choice Fight of the Year Nominee **UFC.com Awards *** 2024: Ranked #5 Fight of the Year *** 2023: Ranked #7 Fighter of the Year *

World MMA Awards The World MMA Awards are awards presented by ''Fighters Only'' magazine to honor exceptional performance in various aspects of mixed martial arts. Winners are presented with the ''Fighters Only silver statuette''. The World MMA Awards are divided ...

**2024 Nominee, Breakthrough Fighter of the Year (nomination period spanned from July 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024) **2024 Nominee, Fight of the Year *

**2020 Brave CF Submission of the Year **Number 1 Contender, Super Lightweight division *Staredown Fighting Championship **2019 SFC Welterweight Championship (one time)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 14–3 (1) ,

, Submission (arm-triangle choke) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:35 ,

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

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, TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, France , , - , Loss , align=center, 13–2 (1) ,

, KO (punches) , UFC 299 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:32 ,

Miami, Florida Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–1 (1) ,

, KO (head kick) , UFC 295 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:31 ,

New York City, New York New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on New York Harbor, one of the world's largest natural harb ...

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, TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivac , , 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 Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

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, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...

, 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 Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, 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 Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 (1) , Ivica Trušček , Submission (kneebar) , Brave CF 34 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:39 ,

Ljubljana {{Infobox settlement , name = Ljubljana , official_name = , settlement_type = Capital city , image_skyline = {{multiple image , border = infobox , perrow = 1/2/2/1 , total_widt ...

, 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 ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

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

Mons Mons commonly refers to: * Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium * Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone * Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain * Batt ...

, 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 Communes of France, commune in the Essonne department, France. It is located south from the Kilometre Zero, center of Paris. Inhabitants of Longjumeau are known as ''Longjumellois'' () in French. History Longjumeau Party Sch ...

, France , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Artur Szczepaniak , Submission (rear-naked choke) , Staredown Fighting Championship 14 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 3:00 ,

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

, Belgium , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Marc Domont , Technical Submission (guillotine choke) , Lions Fighting Championship 8 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 3:29 ,

Neuchâtel Neuchâtel (, ; ; ) is a list of towns in Switzerland, town, a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality, and the capital (political), capital of the cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Neuchâtel (canton), Neuchâtel on Lake Neuchâtel ...

, Switzerland , , -

Submission grappling record

{, class="wikitable" style="font-size:80%; text-align:left;" , - ! Result ! Rec ! Opponent ! Method ! Event ! Date ! Weight , - , Win , , 3–3 , ,

, , Points , , ADXC 4 , , 18 May 2024 , , 175 lbs , - , Loss , , 2–3 , , Abdusamad Abdusamadov , , Points , , ACB JJ WORLD OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP GI 2019 , , July 13, 2019 , , 187 lbs , - , Loss , , 2–2 , , Yusup Raisov , , Points , , ACB JJ European OPEN Championship NO - GI & ACB JJ POLISH Open Championship GI , , 4 August 2018 , , 187 lbs , - , Win , , 2–1 , , Ziemowit Żelazny , , Submission , , ACB JJ European OPEN Championship NO - GI & ACB JJ POLISH Open Championship GI , , 4 August 2018 , , 187 lbs , - , Loss , , 1–1 , , Moritz Köllensperger , , Submission , , ACB JJ European OPEN Championship NO - GI & ACB JJ POLISH Open Championship GI , , 4 August 2018 , , 187 lbs , - , Win , , 1–0 , , Karol Kurembski , , Points , , ACB JJ European OPEN Championship NO - GI & ACB JJ POLISH Open Championship GI , , 4 August 2018 , , 187 lbs , -

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 21st-century French sportsmen