Benoît Saint-Denis, the soul of the warrior, soon in Toulouse?
At 26, Benoît Saint-Denis has already known several lives. After seven years serving France in the special forces, he converted to MMA. The fighter imposed his name on the UFC, the most prestigious organization.
Body cut with a line, face cut with a sickle, cauliflower ears, Benoît Saint-Denis is entering the court of the (very) great. He brandishes the French flag, with a martial air. The MMA (Mixed Martial Art) fighter closes his eyes for a second. The time to wage his first “war” on the UFC, the most prestigious organization, has come. This October 30, 2021, in the United Arab Emirates, the Brazilian Elizeu Zaleski Dos Santo – who we will learn later that he was doped – is waiting for him in the cage.
The Frenchman tied the game in the first round. Abused during the second, Benoît Saint-Denis, his face distorted by the blows, his nose broken, did not give up. Groggy, “God of War” of his nickname that he takes from his brothers, protects himself, transmits his powerful fists.
The commentators of RMC Sports, who broadcast the fight, wonder “why the referee does not stop” and salute “the exceptional courage shown by the Frenchman”. That evening, despite his defeat, the then 25-year-old man walked out of the cage with his head held high. UFC fans categorize him as the “dogs”, those fighters who never give up.
“The special forces made a man out of me”
This rage, he already had it as a kid. The child aspired to “a life full of challenges and fights”, galvanized by the Lancelot books, or The Quest for the Grail. It was at the age of 16 that the teenager with a cavalier attitude found his way.
His father, a career soldier, transmits the virus of the army to him. To join the 1st marine infantry parachute regiment in Bayonne, Benoît Saint-Denis adhered to iron discipline. Bodyweight work, running… for two years, he prepares to pass the military tests. So at 18, ready, the young man joined the special forces. During his service, the soldier is sent several times to Mali and the sub-Saharan strip.
His group even ensures the protection of François Hollande, then president, during a trip to Timbuktu. He will forever remember these missions… and on his skin. “After his visit, I had the Maltese cross tattooed, surrounded by the seal of the soldiers of Christ. We have the same mission as them, to protect”, slips the former special forces, decorated several times during his service. The experience changed her forever: “I went there as a child, I came out as a man. »
An installation in Toulouse?
When he is not protecting France, Benoît Saint-Denis spends his free time learning to defend himself. He first met his 8 years of judo in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in the Masterless club of Christophe Savoca, who still accompanies him today, then pushes the door of the CYFIT kickboxing club. After acquiring the basics in both sports, Benoît Saint-Denis combined them and launched himself into MMA, where he quickly distinguished himself by bringing an amateur tournament to San Sebastián. Under the advice of his mentor on the ground, Christophe Savoca, the fighter took part in a test organized by Daniel Woirin, a French trainer renowned for having won three UFC belts. He passed it brilliantly and joined his team.
In 2019, his contract with the army comes to an end and Benoît Saint-Denis chooses to devote himself to combat sports. He gives himself two years to reach the highest level. His entry into the UFC in 2021 confirms that the goal has almost been achieved. Appetite comes with eating and the fighter is greedy. After being the first Frenchman to fight in his country, on September 3, the former soldier now dreams of winning the belt in the lightweight category (-70 kg).
When this is done, the fighter wants to settle near Toulouse, land of his company. He already spends almost a month a year there. And he has his habits. The fighter trains in the Tactical Fight Team club each time he passes through the Pink City. Now is not the time to rest. Neither in Toulouse nor elsewhere. The cage and its trials await him. He will fight in Las Vegas on February 18. Benoît Saint-Denis, indefatigable, is one of his men who only find peace after the war.