After his recent success, Benoit Saint-Denis already has clear visions of the fighters he would like to fight soon and in the future.
Saint-Denis shared his plans after succeeding at UFC 295 by defeating Matt Frevola in the lightweight division of the main card. With a head kick, the French fighter achieved a KO win at just 1:31 of Round 1. With his latest win, Saint-Denis’ record is now 13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC, while Frevola has an 11-4-1 MMA, 5-4-1 UFC record.
In the UFC 295 post-fight news conference, Saint-Denis expressed confidence over fighting in a main event in France and named some of the fighters he would like to face next.
“I’m going to fight everybody they give me, but really I would like really to make a big main event in France,” Saint-Denis said. “… A guy like Dustin Poirier or (Mateusz) Gamrot. You know, it’s unfortunate for him, but he got a victory because a guy got injured with (Rafael) Fiziev with a low kick or a body kick. So, I’m asking for him again, or Dustin Poirier. He just lost, he’s ranked, and he has to fight a guy behind him because he’s on the loss. I know he’s a big name, but I’m going to be an even bigger name if I’m working like that.”
Saint-Denis made his UFC debut with a loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, but the rest of his journey with the promotion company has been impressive. His last fight is the newest entry in his five-fight winning streak, making him one of the most promising fighters in the UFC. With this, it is no surprise that Saint-Denis also hopes to achieve the BMF belt and even the chance to fight No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter Islam Makhachev. Underscoring his ability to take down competitors within the first or second round of the fight, the lightweight division champ believes Makhachev won’t last three rounds.
“I’m going to get that BMF belt because I deserve it, then I’m going to go for Islam Makhachev,” Saint-Denis said during an interview with Joe Rogan after the fight. “He won’t do three rounds with me. Nobody is going to do three rounds with me. I’m going to catch everybody. I’m coming for everybody in the lightweight division. It’s not going to last long until I have the belt around my waist, believe me.”
