Benoit Saint-Denis is currently scheduled to face Kyle Prepolec in a lightweight matchup at the UFC 315 event on Saturday, May 10, 2025. Initially, Saint-Denis was to fight Joel Alvarez, but Alvarez was ruled out due to a hand injury and replaced by Prepolec.
Heading into his much-awaited return to the Octagon, Saint-Denis’ pre-UFC military career has seemingly piqued fan interest.
Was Benoit Saint-Denis in the Military?
Benoit Saint-Denis was born in Nimes, Gard, France, on Dec. 18, 1995. The 29-year-old is known to have served his nation, France, as a member of its military. He was a French special ops (special operations) operative, serving in the French Special Air Service (SAS).
He’s known to have partaken in counter-terrorism operations in Mali and elsewhere in West Africa. Saint-Denis was honored with France’s ‘Medal of the Nation’s Gratitude’ and the ‘Combatant’s Cross’ for his military service.
On UFC Connected’s Fighter Focus hosted by Megan Olivi in 2024, the UFC provided fight fans with an insight into Saint-Denis’ military history. The lightweight contender himself indicated that his father, too, served in the French military.
Saint-Denis stated, “I had a very happy childhood when I was young. I have four little brothers. We had everything we needed. We were a group of brothers looking out for each other. I took my role as a firstborn child very seriously. I wanted to be a knight, you know? Because the knight is the one who is protecting the weak against the strong.”
He added, “My father was in the French Foreign Legion. He worked on missions outside of the country, so we moved a lot. I looked at his career, and I knew it was partly the way I wanted to take.”
Shedding light on his own career in the armed forces, he explained, “I became a French Special Air Service member, French Special Forces. Mostly what I did was counter-terrorism in the Sub-Saharan band against Boko Haram and a couple of different branches of Islamic State. I did protection of high-value personalities like the president, ministers, generals in a lot of different countries in Africa.”
“Also, I did a lot of sensitive site exploitation, which is having a fast collection of the information you have on the ground to try to directly use it to have another action in the night. I worked my a** off so I could be successful in it … After five years in spec ops, I was looking for my own adventure.”
Saint-Denis highlighted that one has to follow orders in the military, adding that he eventually wanted to be his own boss. He recalled having trained in the martial art of BJJ (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu) since 2017 and honing his kickboxing skills in 2018. “God of War” recounted that he felt if he didn’t try his hand at a potential MMA career, he’d regret it.
Well, Saint-Denis made his professional MMA debut in Feb. 2019 and his UFC promotional debut in Oct. 2021. His MMA record stands at 13 victories, three defeats, and one No Contest (NC).
