Benoit Saint-Denis didn’t just win one fight this Saturday at Madison Square Garden. In addition to his resounding victory with a spectacular high-kick (kick to the head) against the American Matt Frevola, the 27-year-old Frenchman also turned around the legendary New York arena, which had welcomed him with boos before to offer him a cheer after a speech that wowed the crowds.
Financially too, the lightweight from Nîmes did not lose his evening. In addition to the fight bonus and the victory bonus during UFC 95, the former special forces soldier also won a performance bonus linked to his knockout in the amount of 50,000 dollars (47,000 euros).
Visibly impressed and delighted, Dana White, the boss of the UFC, already has his idea for the Frenchy sequel: “He has just beaten Frevola, the 14th, rather easily. Maybe he will enter the Top 10 on Tuesday. This would be a big step forward. Can he face a fighter ranked second or third? Of course ! We’ll look for fights and see if he’s ready to go back. I think we can come to France and headline him on a card there. That’s exciting. It’s gonna be fun. »
???????????? “We could put it on the HEADLINE of a map in France”
???? UFC Big Boss Dana White sees big things for Benoit Saint Denis after his “easy” victory against Matt Frevola pic.twitter.com/WmvSVFLJpq
— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) November 12, 2023
As a reminder, the UFC organized an evening at the beginning of September at the Accor Arena in Paris, with many French fighters on the bill, which was a popular success in front of 16,000 furious spectators. “I’m only waiting for one thing, which is to have the next date,” Saint-Denis is already planning, who dreams of facing the Pole Mateusz Gamrot, sixth in the world. “Gamrot is European, let’s have a nice fight, a main event in Paris. »
And the former soldier (27 years old, 5 victories, 1 defeat) could see himself fighting in the presence of Emmanuel Macron after having performed on Saturday evening under the eyes of former American President Donald Trump. “It’s a big card in the United States, there are always American politicians who want to be present. I hope that in Paris we will soon have the same audience for the next fights, with why not our president (Emmanuel Macron). Because at the moment there is a lot of love for MMA in France, but the political world is still on the sidelines. They must enter the dance and follow the dynamics, because this sport is the only one where you cannot ask for more freedoms. »
With this success, Saint-Denis continues to climb the hierarchy and opens the doors to the top 15 lightweights of the UFC, barely four years after his debut in the discipline.
