5 Things You Might Not Know About Benoit St. Denis

Benoit St. Denis might soon be knocking on the door to the Top 15 in the Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight division.

The 27-year-old Nimes, France, native will lock horns with former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion Thiago Moises in a featured UFC Fight Night 226 attraction on Saturday at Accor Arena in Paris. St. Denis has rattled off three consecutive wins, all of them finishes, ahead of arguably his stiffest test to date at 155 pounds. He last appeared at UFC on ESPN 48, where he put away Ismael Bonfim with a face crank in the first round of their July 1 confrontation.

As St. Denis moves ever closer to his looming showdown with the American Top Team-trained Moises, here are five things you might not know about him:

1. His nickname carries a deeper meaning.

St. Denis was an operator as part of a Special Forces unit in the French Army for five years and received the Medal of the Nation’s Gratitude and the Combatant’s Cross in recognition of his service in the Mali War and in combatting terrorism in West Africa. Hence the “God of War” moniker he now bears.

2. He was something of a late arrival.

The French judoka made his professional mixed martial arts debut at the age of 23 on Feb. 16, 2019 and put Marc Domont to sleep with a first-round guillotine choke under the Lions Fighting Championship banner in Switzerland. He competed in five different organizations, most notably Brave Combat Federation, before he arrived in the UFC as an undefeated prospect in 2021.

3. He was quick to make waves.

St. Denis struck gold in his second pro assignment, as he captured the Staredown Fighting Championship welterweight title with a rear-naked choke submission of current KSW talent Artur Szczepaniak in the third round of their March 2019 encounter.

4. He keeps his travel agent busy.

The 5-foot-11 lightweight has fought in 10 different countries during his relatively brief 13-fight career. In addition to his aforementioned work in Switzerland, St. Denis has competed in Belgium, France, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, Bahrain, Italy, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

5. Despite his accomplishments, some might argue he married up.

St. Denis wed Laura Proudhom in August 2022. She was an accomplished futsal player who won a European Champions League title as a member of the Toulouse Metropole Futsal Club. Proudhom was also the first female police officer to complete Special Weapons and Tactics training in France.