UFC lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis knows what he wants next, and a showdown with Justin Gaethje is among the leading options.
France’s top lightweight is on a mission. After Saint-Denis’ submission win at UFC 315, the No. 13-ranked man at 155 pounds wants a piece of the top names in the division.
‘God of War’ has previously had his push up the ladder stalled by top 10 competition. Saint-Denis suffered crushing losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano in 2024.
Although his first win since those setbacks came against a UFC newcomer in Kyle Prepolec, Saint-Denis evidently still believes he deserves another opportunity against one of the best.
Benoit Saint-Denis shares three-man UFC hitlist of Justin Gaethje, Dan Hooker, and Mateusz Gamrot
During an appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Saint-Denis reflected on his successful trip to the cage in Montreal and turned his focus to what could lie ahead.
The French standout was prepared with three names when it comes to his next matchup. Saint-Denis pointed to his feud with Mateusz Gamrot, as well as highlighting the exciting nature of potential clashes with both Gaethje and Dan Hooker.
“I’m focused on a couple of guys,” Saint-Denis said. “I got a lot of callouts by Gamrot. Also, Hooker and Gaethje are guys that have been reacting a lot over my last fights last year.
“It seems like the Hooker fight will be a violent fight, like the [Joel] Alvarez fight should have been [at UFC 315]. I would enjoy it a lot; the Gaethje fight obviously as well, and Gamrot also.”
Justin Gaethje has rejected Benoit Saint-Denis’ callouts in the past
When it comes to ordering those options in terms of realism, some past remarks from Gaethje would perhaps signal him as the least likely opponent for ‘God of War’.
While speaking to Kevin Iole in January 2024 shortly after another top five contender in Poirier agreed to face the Frenchman, Gaethje explained why it would not have been smart of him to do the same.
“I love that he was calling me out, but I’m No. 2 on the cusp of a championship fight,” Gaethje said. “If he was in my position, he would know the dumbest thing I could do is fight a fight like that.
“Not that I don’t want to. Does that fight sound fun to me? Absolutely. But, this is a business, and luckily I’m not the guy making those choices because I would never be here. I would have fought every fight.”
Not much has changed since those comments. While Gaethje has stayed high up in contention at No. 3, Saint-Denis remains outside the division’s top 10 following his two setbacks in 2024.
With that in mind, the inclusion of Gaethje on the Frenchman’s hitlist is perhaps the least realistic of the three matchups.