New York, NY — Popular French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis kicks off the UFC 322 main card this Saturday, taking on Beneil Dariush with an eye to earning his third straight fight inside the octagon.
After losing back-to-back fights against Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, BSD finally went ahead and got himself a head coach in MMA, after essentially running his own fight camps for years. That has almost certainly helped him turn things around.
“I cannot wait to fight on Saturday night, because we don’t have the opportunity every day to show the world, against world-class opposition, what type of progress we have made,” Saint-Denis (15-3, 1NC) stated on Wednesday, speaking during the UFC 322 media day with outlets including Cageside Press.
“It’s been almost a year now, like over six months that I’ve been working with an MMA head coach, and I feel like I’m really a better fighter now. And I cannot wait to be at MSG for game day,” he added.
“You have to take the technical and tactical aspect of the fight game very seriously,” noted BSD, especially at the UFC level where all fighters are well-rounded. Taking on an experienced MMA coach, added Saint-Denis, leaves him feeling “blessed, because he changed the way I see fighting. Of course I’m still the ‘seek and destroy’ guy everybody loves, but I’m putting stuff inside the recipe to get the job done against anybody. And to take this fight, and take my future fights very seriously. That’s all.”
As far as the UFC’s official rankings are concerned, Dariush sits in the #9 spot, several positions ahead of BSD at #13. “Beneil is a very well-rounded guy, been for so many years in the top 5, top 10 of the division. It’s an honor and a privilege to face him at MSG,” Saint-Denis stated.
While he’s spoken of being well-rounded, Benoit Saint-Denis has seen his last few fights come against opponents happy to stand and bang with him. Mauricio Ruffy, who suffered his first loss in the UFC against the French lightweight, is known as “One Shot” after all. Dariush is a different animal, having won the World No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu Championships at the Blue, Purple, and Brown belt levels in three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010.
“We’re both very good grapplers, we’ve been proving it time and time again,” replied Saint-Denis, asked how his grappling compares to that of Dariush. “It’s a very interesting position, because it’s a fight where tactics mean something. The one of us who imposes his will the most will be the winner of the fight.”
Watch the full UFC 322 media day appearance by Benoit Saint-Denis above.
