Athletes
Benoît Saint Denis Focused on Saturday and Nothing Else
Lightweight Contender Benoît Saint Denis Locked In On Crucial Battle With Former Title Challenger Paddy Pimblett In UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 Co-Main Event
When athletes switch camps or begin working with new coaches, the impact isn’t always immediately noticed, as forging new relationships and figuring out dynamics can take time with the results often shining a couple fights down the line.
But as soon as Benoît Saint Denis turned over the reins to head coach Nicolas Ott, there has been clear advancement, with the French “God of War” continuing to look more impressive each time out.
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“It’s a lot of talk between us two and between all the team,” began Saint Denis, discussing the inner workings of the group ahead of his return to action this weekend opposite Paddy Pimblett in the UFC 329 co-main event at T-Mobile Arena.
“Each member has his words to say and he’s taking with me the main decisions on how the fight is gonna plan, then we adjust depending on what I’m giving him during the training. If he sees something work, then we insist on it, and if something is not working, then maybe we do something else.”
So far, it feels like everything has been working.
Saint Denis began working with Ott and his current coaching staff after suffering back-to-back losses in 2024, with the decorated former French paratrooper and top-10 lightweight recognizing that he’s better suited to be a soldier taking orders, as opposed to the one making command decisions.
They had only been teamed up for a few weeks prior to his 2025 debut against Kyle Prepolec in Montreal, where Saint Denis registered a second-round submission win over the returning Canadian.
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A second-round finish of Mauricio Ruffy in Paris followed and has aged well as the Brazilian has rebounded with twin stoppage wins, with Saint Denis rounding out 2025 with a 16-second knockout of his own over Beneil Dariush.
Two-and-a-half months later, he kicked off his 2026 campaign with a second-round finish of Dan Hooker in Sydney —giving him 17 career victories— all of which have come inside the distance.
“It’s just the way I am. It’s in my DNA; I’m a finisher and I will always be,” he said when asked about his finishing prowess and instincts. “You know that when you’re inside the Octagon with me, you are here for a treatment.
Benoît Saint Denis Gets Round 2 Stoppage | UFC 325
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Benoît Saint Denis Gets Round 2 Stoppage | UFC 325
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“It happens sometimes, but mostly I am very concentrated on what I’m doing, putting on my style,” Saint Denis added when asked if there are moments that present themselves that trigger his decisions to press for the finish or if everything goes on feel. “And if he breaks, he breaks.”
As Ivan Drago as that sounds, it’s just the way the always direct, ever-focused French lightweight speaks, even when it comes to acknowledging that finishing an opponent is the best feeling in the world.
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“I think it’s the best feeling, sportively,” he said. “It’s the best sensation I’ve ever had because it’s the culmination of a lot of work.”
His next endeavor this weekend has a similar shape to his first appearance of the year, though with a slightly greater spotlight.
Heading into his fight with Hooker at UFC 325, Saint Denis framed the bout as a contest to determine which of them merited a place in the top 5, with positioning in the chase for the BMF title he called for, and the lightweight strap lingering secondary considerations on the periphery of the bout.
Even after handily disposing of “The Hangman” and earning a place in the top five, Saint Denis believes the stakes haven’t changed heading into this one on Saturday night.
“It’s the same,” he began when asked what is on the line this weekend when he and Pimblett step into the Octagon. “Five against six, he just had a title shot, so it’s a huge fight with huge implications, but I’m not seeing passed him now.
“For now, I’m focusing on Paddy and getting my hand raised.”
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This weekend marks Pimblett’s return to action after battling new undisputed lightweight champ Justin Gaethje to the scorecards in their interim title matchup at UFC 324.
Even without Gaethje ascending to the throne last month in Washington, this would be a huge bout in the stacked 155-pound ranks, but with “The Baddy” having gone five hard rounds with him in January, the focus is on this contest and the implications it carries are definitely more intense.
Pimblett has rarely lost, carrying a 23-4 record into Saturday’s penultimate matchup, and when he has stumbled, a win has followed. Last time he faltered, the nine-fight winning streak that carried him into his matchup with Gaethje followed, and Saint Denis is well aware of the caliber of fighter he’s stepping in with this weekend.
“Like me, he seizes opportunities when he has them, he’s a well-rounded, experienced fighter,” he said, offering his assessment of the Liverpool man. “He’s been doing that a long time, so I just think he’s at his prime right now.”
Just as the stakes haven’t changed from his first appearance of the year to now, neither have the goals or the approach.
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“The goal is to make my place even more comfortable and to show everybody that I’m a real contender to the belt (by) putting on a show, putting on a war for everybody, for all the fans, and getting that win,” Saint Denis said of his weekend intentions.
With the UFC’s return to Paris looming on the horizon and his being the only athlete to compete on all four previous trips to the “City of Light,” the potential for a quick turnaround in order to go five-for-five in the French capital hangs over this fight. But true to his word, the only thing on his radar for now is Saturday night.
“That’s a tough question,” he said when asked about the opportunity. “Like I said, I cannot answer anything before fighting.”
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 took place live from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on July 11, 2026. See the final Prelim & Main Card Results, Official Scorecards and Who Won Bonuses - and relive the action on UFC FIGHT PASS!