Benoit Saint Denis has his head back in the game, and he’s already eyeing a major showdown with Arman Tsarukyan.
Saint Denis (15-3 MMA, 7-3 UFC) dominated Mauricio Ruffy from the opening bell in the co-main event at UFC Paris, submitting the Brazilian midway through the second round to earn his second victory of the year.
With a difficult 2024 behind him—a year that saw losses to both Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano—Saint Denis is ready to make another run at the lightweight elite, and Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is firmly in his sights.
"I think I have been facing the No. 15 two times in a row," Saint Denis said during the UFC Paris post-fight news conference. "First time, (Joel Alvarez) had problems and I had to face another opponent, (Kyle Prepolec). This time I faced No. 15, I beat him fast, and I'm back to doing what I love to do. I lost myself before the Dustin Poirier fight, and for one year in 2024. I've been learning a lot. I made a lot of mistakes. I think my head got big. I made a lot of problems for myself, not focusing anymore on the fight game, which is what I enjoy to do.
"Now I'm back at it, and I cannot wait to showcase that by facing a guy like Arman, (Dan) Hooker, (Mateusz) Gamrot – I mean, anybody inside the top 10. I know they wanted to make Arman vs. Gamrot. They wanted to make me vs. Gamrot. It didn't work. Maybe me vs. Arman, because obviously Gamrot vs. Arman was already made. I don't know what will be the UFC's plans, but I refuse nobody. I'm back at the version of myself which is fight as much as possible and win as much as possible, no matter the opponent."
Saint Denis entered Saturday’s bout at the Accor Arena as the underdog. But “God of War” quickly shattered that narrative, shutting down every threat Ruffy tried to mount.
"I knew he was going to be dangerous on the counter. He's explosive on the attack, too," Saint Denis said of Ruffy. "He's one of the most dangerous opponents, especially at the start of the round when he's not tired. I just fought my style. I mixed it up and I tired him out and I put him in my universe, which is war. I'm the 'God of War.' Since the age of 19, I've been doing all kinds of warfare."
