UFC lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis turned himself into a star with a ridiculous knockout in Madison Square Garden.
Benoit Saint-Denis was a relatively unknown lightweight prospect entering UFC 295, but left the legendary Madison Square Garden with the win of his life, which earned the attention of UFC superstar Dustin Poirier.
Saint-Denis and New York hometown hero Matt Frevola helped kick off the action at UFC 295, on a card that was originally headlined by Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic. After Jones’s withdrawal due to injury, the top of the card got a big switch-up, and the undercard fights had more pressure to deliver after the changes.
Saint-Denis confronted the pressure head-on, passing what was at the time the toughest test of his UFC career with flying colors.
Benoit Saint-Denis countered a hard takedown with a timely kick
Saint-Denis faced some early adversity against Frevola, as his opponent successfully notched a big takedown in the opening seconds of the fight. But Saint-Denis, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, was able to work his way back to his feet quickly.
As the two rival lightweights returned the fight to their feet, Saint-Denis had Frevola on the back foot and landed a massive head kick that knocked Frevola out cold. It was an earth-shattering highlight that shocked the crowd at Madison Square Garden.
Saint-Denis’s victory at UFC 295 not only earned him a spot in the lightweight Top 15 but also quickly drew the attention of Poirier and the UFC matchmakers. Just months later, he’d co-headline a UFC pay-per-view at UFC 299 against Poirier, in a bout that lived up to lofty expectations.
Check out Saint-Denis’s wild finish against Frevola below.
Benoit Saint-Denis looks to overcome back-to-back TKO losses
Almost two years after the Frevola fight, Saint-Denis has suffered a similar fate to his former rival over his last two fights. He lost to Poirier by knockout at UFC 299, despite nearly finishing Poirier early on, before falling by doctor’s stoppage to Renato Moicano at UFC Paris in September.
Luckily for Saint-Denis, he won’t have to wait long to potentially get back on track after his consecutive knockout losses. Saint-Denis is set to return against promising lightweight Joel Alvarez at UFC 315 next weekend in Montreal.
Win or lose, Saint-Denis is always a dangerous puzzle to solve, and he’ll look to get back into the lightweight title mix with a victory at UFC 315.