Benoit Saint-Denis is the latest threat to the lightweight division. However, the French fighter started his UFC career in the welterweight division. The 28-year-old UFC fighter began his UFC journey in October 2021 at UFC 267. He faced Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in his UFC debut and, in the process, suffered the first loss of his MMA career.
Taking on the Brazilian Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in a short-notice fight in the 170-pound division, Saint-Denis had the most brutal fight of his career and got almost knocked out by the UFC veteran. It came to a point in the second round that dos Santos unleashed brutal combinations on Saint-Denis, who looked defenseless and did not do much other than show his granite chin.
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos believes his #UFC267 fight against Benoit Saint-Denis should have been stopped. pic.twitter.com/ml29XdAvHU
— MMA Fighting (@MMAFighting) October 30, 2021
In the background, sitting on the commentator’s desk, Daniel Cormier can be seen screaming at the top of his voice to “stop the fight.”
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos
During the second round, in the closing minutes of the fight, Saint-Denis proved that Joe Rogan doesn’t call him a “killer” and an “assassin” for no reason. The former member of the French Special Forces showed grit and heart to walk through dos Santos’ barrage of punches, eating some clean shots but still swinging his hands and staying in the fight.
However, the display of toughness was too much for Daniel Cormier, who was on broadcasting duties. “Marc Goddard is looking over like what in the world is going on. He can stop the fight at any moment.” only to echo, “Jon, I hope his corner is smart enough to stop this. This is one of those situations where the corner can just go, ‘you know what, it’s enough.'” in the closing seconds of the round.
Also read: Benoit Saint-Denis Still Thinks He Is Undefeated After “Controversial” UFC Debut
Saint-Denis would eventually go the distance, losing the fight via unanimous decision. However, the French fighter still believes he is undefeated in his MMA career and has requested his loss against the Brazilian fighter to be overturned into a No Contest after Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos tested positive for steroids months ago.