Benoit Saint-Denis has quickly made a name for himself in the world of mixed martial arts. Former member of the French Special Forces, the 28-year-old Saint-Denis will take on his biggest challenge as he looks to lock horns against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier in a special 5-round co-main event at UFC 299.
Heading into this weekend, the French fighter is 13-1-1 in his MMA career and 5-1 in the UFC. Benoit Saint-Denis suffered the first loss of his MMA career in October 2021, dropping a decision loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos at UFC 267 in his first and only fight in the UFC’s welterweight division.
#UFC267 Official Result: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (@ElizeuCapoeira 29-26, 29-26, 29-26) defeats Benoit Saint-Denis by Unanimous Decision
— UFC News (@UFCNews) October 30, 2021
However, Benoit Saint-Denis doesn’t believe he lost that fight; he has contested the decision numerous times.
Benoit Saint-Denis’ UFC debut and his first loss in his MMA career
Saint-Denis’s biggest night as a mixed martial artist did not go as planned, as the French fighter lost a unanimous decision to the Brazilian mixed martial artist. Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos almost finished Saint-Denis in the second round to pick up a comfortable victory despite getting a point deducted due to a groin strike in Round 3.
However, less than a year later, in September 2022, USADA announced that the 27-year-old fighter had tested positive for ostarine, a performance-enhancing drug. He was subsequently banned from the sport for 12 months.
In a sample tested on March 14, 2022, the Brazilian fighter was contacted by USADA initially on April 8 before the ultimate verdict.
While dos Santos maintained that it was because of a tainted supplement, he had to serve 12 months and returned to active competition in June 2023 with a split decision against Abubakar Nurmagomedov.
#UFCVegas74 Official Result: Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos (@ElizeuCapoeira 29-28, 29-28) defeats Abubakar Nurmagomedov (29-28) by Split Decision
Complete Results: https://t.co/MiEzSQuUu0
— UFC News (@UFCNews) June 4, 2023
Benoit Saint-Denis expressed his disappointment over the result and shared his thoughts on the only loss of his MMA career. The French fighter reminded fans that he feels incredible in the lightweight division and admits it was a mistake to accept the short-notice 170-pound match-up against the UFC veteran. However, he didn’t take lightly to the USADA verdict.
“First of all, the UFC debut should be a No Contest because the guy got popped two months after our fight occurring, like a lot of guys,” Saint-Denis said.
“I will talk about this problem about drug testing later on, but it’s a problem in our sport. But I understand it, because it’s a pretty new sport, and you agree to fight under those conditions when you are a UFC fighter or any type of MMA fighter.” He further added.
Benoit Saint-Denis remains undefeated in the UFC’s lightweight division and has picked up three UFC bonuses in his last five wins inside the cage, all of which have come via way of stoppage. Can he put on a similar performance against Dustin Poirier? Do let us know in the comments section.