Английская Википедия:Benoît Saint Denis

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Infobox martial artist Benoît Saint Denis (born 18 December 1995) is a French professional mixed martial artist who competes in the lightweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). As of 6 February 2024, he is #12 in the UFC lightweight rankings.

Background

Benoît Saint Denis was born in Nîmes, on December 18, 1995 as the eldest of five brothers. His father was a French Army officer practising judo at a good level, and his mother was a teacher. Saint Denis practised judo in France and Germany from the age of 8 to 16 and earned a black belt. He also played football and rugby union 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. He served in Mali during the war and more generally in West Africa, fighting terrorist groups. 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.

Early kickboxing and BJJ career

Saint Denis began kick-boxing with Stéphane Susperregui and Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ) with Christophe Savoca in 2017 in the Bayonne 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 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 IBJJF 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 and tested himself in the Invictus XV amateur tournament that he won in the welterweight division on December 16, 2017 in San Sebastián, Spain. 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 is training. The Brazilian confirmed that Saint Denis was capable of launching into professional MMA.

Mixed martial arts career

In Septembre 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 and two at Strikeforce with MMA champions Anderson Silva, Dan Henderson and Lyoto Machida. 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.

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. With Daniel Woirin, he stayed undefeated and went eight wins by finish in middleweight, welterweight and super lightweight divisions, half of them at the Brave Combat Federation, where he ended up as the #1 Title contenter of the super lightweight division at the time he accepted to join the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship (2021–present)

2021

Saint Denis made his UFC debut in the welterweight division on short notice against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos on October 30, 2021 at UFC 267. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

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 in the second round.

He was scheduled to face Christos Giagos on September 3, 2022 at UFC Fight Night 209, in Paris. However, Giagos pulled out in August after 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 award.

2023

Saint Denis was scheduled to face Joe Solecki on February 18, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 219. However, he withdrew from the bout due to ankle injury.

Saint Denis was scheduled to face Vinc Pichel 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 on September 2, 2023 at UFC Fight Night 226, in Paris. 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 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. He signed off with a salute to Frevola who responded in kind during this veterans day.

2024

Saint Denis is scheduled to face Dustin Poirier in a 5 round co-main for UFC 299 on March 9, 2024. According to Dustin Poirier, the fight was intially pencilled at the start of the main card of UFC 300 scheduled on April 13, 2024, at the T-Mobile Arena in  Paradise, Nevada. After discussions, the fight was officially announced for UFC 299.

Mixed martial arts style

Saint Denis is fighting in a Southpaw stance. His mixed martial arts 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 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.

• Sparring

  Sparring

Saint Denis chose God of War nickname, on the advice of his brothers, after his third professional victory. This is reflecting his military and MMA warrior attitude.

Saint Denis walkout track is based on the French Commandos’ song and Seine Saint-Denis Style from the french hip hop group Suprême NTM.

Personal life

Besides his MMA career, Saint Denis sometimes works as an instructor and a trainer for a French private security company named Chiron. He married his fiancée Laura, a week before his fight at UFC Fight Night 209. The couple had a daughter in July 2023.

Laura is a former French international futsal player who won the European Champions league with Toulouse Metropole FC. She is working as a dog trainer and shooting instructor in the police and she was the first French female police officer undergoing Special weapons and Tactics (SWAT) course. Undergoing a Master degree in Sports Management, she is also Saint Denis' Agent, handling his sponsors and social networks.

Файл:Cross-Pattee-red.svg

The cross of the Order of the Temple, tattooed on Benoît Saint Denis's left pectoral.

Benoit Saint Denis has 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.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

• Ultimate Fighting Championship
  • Performance of the Night (Two times) Шаблон:Small
  • Performance of the Month (One time) Шаблон:Small
  • Fight of the Night (One time) Шаблон:Small
  • Fight of the Month (One time) Шаблон:Small
  • First French Fighter to compete and to win on a UFC card in France
  • First French Fighter to be ranked in the lightweight division
  • Seventh Best Fighters of 2023
  • Holding three UFC lightweight (all times) records: Top position percentage, Knockdown average per 15 Min, Striking differential
• Brave Combat Federation
  • 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

Шаблон:MMArecordbox Шаблон:MMA record start |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win |align=center|13–1 (1) |Matt Frevola |KO (head kick) |UFC 295 |Шаблон:Dts |align=center|1 |align=center|1:31 |New York City, New York, United States |Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 12–1 (1) | Thiago Moisés | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Spivak | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 2 | align=center| 4:44 | Paris, France | Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 11–1 (1) | Ismael Bonfim | Submission (face crank) | UFC on ESPN: Strickland vs. Magomedov | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:48 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| Шаблон:Nowrap | Gabriel Miranda | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Gane vs. Tuivasa | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 2 | align=center| 0:16 | Paris, France | Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 9–1 (1) | Niklas Stolze | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Rozenstruik | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 2 | align=center| 1:32 | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:No2Loss | align=center| 8–1 (1) | Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 267 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 3 | align=center| 5:00 | Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates | Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 8–0 (1) | Arkaitz Ramos Gudari | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Brave CF 52 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:09 | Milan, Italy | |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 7–0 (1) | Luan Santiago | Submission (arm-triangle choke) | Brave CF 49 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 2 | align=center| 3:51 | Arad, Bahrain | |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 6–0 (1) | Mario Saeed | TKO (punches) | Brave CF 38 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 2 | align=center| 1:49 | Stockholm, Sweden | Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 5–0 (1) | Ivica Trušček | Submission (kneebar) | Brave CF 34 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:39 | Ljubljana, Slovenia | |- | Шаблон:NocontestNC | align=center| 4–0 (1) | Paweł Kiełek | NC (accidental clash of heads) | Brave CF 28 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 2 | align=center| 5:00 | Bucharest, Romania | |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 4–0 | Ibragim Baisarov | Submission (armbar) | European Beatdown 7 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 1 | align=center| 2:47 | Mons, Belgium | |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 3–0 | Antoine Bensimon | Submission (guillotine choke) | Vic Fight: French Championship 2019 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 1 | align=center| 4:00 | Longjumeau, France | |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 2–0 | Artur Szczepaniak | Submission (rear-naked choke) | Staredown Fighting Championship 14 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 3 | align=center| 3:00 | Antwerp, Belgium | Шаблон:Small |- | Шаблон:Yes2Win | align=center| 1–0 | Marc Domont | Technical Submission (guillotine choke) | Lions Fighting Championship 8 | Шаблон:Dts | align=center| 1 | align=center| 3:29 | Neuchâtel, Switzerland | Шаблон:Small |- Шаблон:End

See also

• List of current UFC fighters
• List of male mixed martial artists

External links

• Шаблон:Sherdog