Beaten and completely overwhelmed by the Brazilian Renato Moicano on Saturday at UFC Paris, Benoît Saint Denis suffered a second defeat which cost him dearly in his quest for the title.
He will have to rebuild himself. Arrested by the doctor after two rounds at UFC Paris 3 with one eye completely closed following a hematoma, “BSD” therefore recorded a second consecutive setback which should prevent him from opening the doors to a chance title soon.
Because if the defeat last March by KO against the legend Dustin Poirier remained honorable, especially after having been affected by staphylococcus, this setback against Renato Moicano is much more difficult. While Benoit Saint Denis had to recover and was in the main event at home in front of a boiling AccorArena, he was completely crushed by the Brazilian’s blows, before leaving with a swollen, unrecognizable face.
In the UFC papers
As a result, its irresistible rise will come to a slight halt. He should finally tumble in the UFC rankings. But in his misfortune, the former Special Forces has a major asset: Dana White. The head of the organization really appreciates “BSD” which reminds him of the very warlike side of veterans. And the fact that the native of Nîmes, who signed a third contract at the start of 2024 (a priori for 4 fights), attracts crowds wherever he travels is a very good thing. Especially since the UFC wants to continue to establish itself in Europe.
The French fighter also intends to relaunch himself soon. “It wasn’t my day, this sport is hard but incredible. Thank you all for your unwavering support. Proud to have been able to represent France in the octagon. Respect to my opponent @moicanoufc for facing me at home and well done to him. God puts trials on our path and this one is nothing compared to what I was able to experience, ad Augusta per Angusta,” he posted on his social networks.
Currently 12th among lightweights, “God of war”, who left Daniel Woirin, his long-time trainer after his defeat against Poirier to join his new team in Bayonne, could fall out of the Top 15. But he could be offered new chances like Rafael Fiziev or Mateusz Gamrot, even Beneil Dariush. But very complicated to imagine it against a Top 6 in a very dense category dominated by Islam Makhachev ahead of Arman Tsrukyan and Charles Oliveira.
Moreover, in this category, a new fighter is knocking on the door of the Top 10 and even more during this UFC Paris: Farès Ziam. But would the two compatriots be ready to face each other? During a main event in France, why not? To have…
