The French lightweight is moving away from the top ten in the most difficult category of all combat sports combined.
What regrets. At the end of a bloody fight, the best French lightweight (13-2 before the fight) was defeated by the formidable Brazilian Renato Moicano (19-5-1 idem). This terrible defeat at home should keep him away from the top ten in the -70KG category.
The fight was decided in the first tens of seconds. Put on his back by Renato Moicano, confident in his BJJ (this is his first combat sport), BSD failed to get up safely, or do a reversal. Renato Moicano struggled to maintain the dominant position, and unleashed a violent ground and pound with fists, but also with elbows. With his left arch cut and his eyelids swollen, he fought like a lion to be able to afford a second round and a slim hope of winning.
Las. During the second round, Renato Moicano played intelligently, circling around Benoît Saint-Denis and aiming for the arch with his jabs. BSD’s face was streaming with blood. During the inter-round between the second and third, the doctor decided to stop it. Too much blood. How hard it is.
The three judges gave the second round to BSD. Benoît comes out with his head held high, but what a head!
Ask yourself the right questions
This defeat is frustrating, because its outcome will not allow any major sporting conclusions to be drawn. Apart from the fact that BJJ, even if excellent, is not all-risk insurance. In terms of choice, it’s something else. Benoît Saint-Denis will have to ask himself serious questions about those around him, and his choice to leave his historic coach Daniel Woirin. He lacks a professional MMA trainer, it’s no disrespect to the team he’s put together to say that.
After the fight, Renato Moicano did honor to Brazil by being complimentary to our Frenchman, and spontaneously declaring that he had lost the second round. “French, I came here and I won against your guy. But Paris is a wonderful city. I wanted to say bad things about you but you are an incredible audience! France is a fabulous country!” Renato Moicano then made uncomplimentary remarks for Emmanuel Macron and the French Revolution, clearly irritated by the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games (“Christ is king” he clarified). He warmly congratulated Benoît Saint-Denis: “he showed a lot of heart”. A little later, during the press conference, he invited him to come and train in Brazil at his gym. Why not ?
Benoît, with remarkable calm and a clear voice despite his tortured face, took the time to thank. “Thank you for your support! You are the best audience in the world. I am proud to have held the flag and represented France. I will come back stronger.” We hope so, but it will be difficult organized like this.
