How many times had he dreamed of this sentence? “Ladies and Gentlemen, in 1 minute 31 seconds, by knock-out, the winner… Benoît Saint-Denis! » The Frenchman raises his fists to the sky, the same fists which he used to end his fight extremely quickly against his evening opponent, Matt Frevola, at UFC 295, after having violently touched him on the the head with his foot. Madison Square Garden, this legendary venue with such a special atmosphere, which has hosted some of the biggest sporting and musical events, suddenly became silent.
🤯🤯🤯 OLALALA INCREDIBLE!!! BENOIT SAINT DENIS TURNED OFF MAT FREVOLA IN THE FIRST ROUND!!
🔥🇫🇷 HE AIR CONDITIONS THE MADISON SQUARE GARDEN pic.twitter.com/4XfjFfYD1R
— RMC Sport Combat (@RMCSportCombat) November 12, 2023
Moments earlier, she had been much louder. In particular to give a very hostile reception to Benoît Saint-Denis, whose only mistake was to face a local fighter, a native of New York. After his victory, the Nîmes savors. In the middle of the ring, he approaches the microphone handed to him by the speaker of the room and reveals to the public his personality which is both very strong but also charming and direct.
“You can boo me all you want,” he tells the crowd. But I love you New York. And I thank you for saving us during the first and second world wars. What’s important isn’t just what happens in the cage. Today (Editor’s note: this Saturday, November 11), is Veterans Day and I am very proud to have served my country. » Applause rises from the stands. He won over the crowd, his second victory after already winning his fight.
“Bringing my mind and body together allowed me to be a better fighter day after day,” he adds. A fighter who, thanks to this victory, enters the top 15 of the prestigious category of less than 70 kg (lightweight). Above all, this victory opens the doors to another world, that of even more illustrious fights, towards the fight for a UFC belt. And why not the BMF, created to honor the toughest, most resistant and most charismatic fighters.
Ready to face the best
“I want to fight for this belt, I deserve it,” continues Saint-Denis in the middle of the ring. I want to face Poirier, Gamrot, or even Gaethje. I’m a big fan but I’m willing to give even more! » The main stakeholders, present in the stands, smile and we imagine them ready to take on the challenge.
A few moments later, we found the fighter in the corridors of Madison Square Garden. He sits down to relieve his painful ankle. He takes a deep breath and begins by thanking his wife. “She took care of my daughter, kept up the sleepless nights, all by herself,” he said. My staff was also very important. Everyone around me sacrificed to allow me to perform well. » His coach Daniel Worin agrees: “The fight went perfectly,” he confides. We had worked on this head kick technique, we had even repeated it during the warm-up. He had a feeling that he could tempt her at that moment and it worked. »
Benoît Saint-Denis takes a little more time to talk about his fight: “I was surprised by his power in wrestling. It packs a punch and it’s powerful. The opponents I will face in the Top 15 will have this same power. The fight went very well. We worked a lot on distance work and aggressiveness management. »
The one who calls himself “God of War” acquired status this Saturday evening in November in the heart of New York. At the foot of the ring, former American President Donald Trump, who entered as one of the fighters and was welcomed by the public like a rock star to the sound of “USA, USA”, did not miss a beat. “I have a lot to say about him as president but there is one thing I appreciate about him: he is easy to understand, what he says and what he does are quite clear,” he said afterwards. shot Benoît Saint-Denis. I just hope that during my fight in Paris, we will also have the support of the French President, because MMA in France is very popular but the politicians remain one foot out. »
It could be in March, during a UFC meeting in the French capital. Until then, he will have plenty of time to dream of new success.
2023-11-12 06:25:00
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