Benoit St. Denis has set his sights on a list of leading contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s lightweight division, following a stellar knockout victory against Matt Frevola. The fight, which was part of the main card at UFC 295, took place at Madison Square Garden in New York, where the “God of War” made an impressive statement. Merely 1:31 into the opening round, St. Denis delivered a devastating left head kick, knocking Frevola to the ground. He then proceeded to utilise ground-and-pound tactics, although the referee, Mike Beltran, stepped in soon after, rendering further action unnecessary.
During his post-fight interview in the Octagon, St. Denis revealed that he had been specifically looking for striking opportunities while in the mix of intense scrambles. He said, “I knew he was not going to exchange too much in the scrambles with me. I knew that if he didn’t win the scrambles, there would be opportunities after the scramble.” In addition to this, he also warned other top contenders in the lightweight division, including the likes of Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje, who were present cageside during the fight.
St. Denis’ ultimate goal may be to win the UFC gold, but the Frenchman already has his eyes on Gaethje’s BMF title or a main event booking in Paris, with a possible face-off against Polish fighter, Mateusz Gamrot. He asserted, “I’m going to get that BMF belt. Then I’m going for Islam Makhachev. I’m coming for everybody in the lightweight division. It’s not going to be long before I have the belt around my waist. I would like to take on Dustin Poirier, [Mateusz] Gamrot, Justin Gaethje, as fast as possible. Being that Gamrot is European, let’s have a main event in Paris.”
Despite experiencing a loss in his UFC debut against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in 2021, St. Denis seems to have bounced back in remarkable fashion. He has now secured five consecutive finishes, all of which have taken place within the first two rounds.