Benoit Saint Denis plans on reestablishing himself as a UFC lightweight contender with a statement against Renato Moicano.
Saint Denis (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) faces Moicano (19-5-1 MMA, 11-5 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) main event at Accor Arena in Paris. Saint Denis saw his five-fight winning streak snapped by Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March. The “God of War” plans on picking up right where he left off against Moicano.
“Everything is open. Everything is to take,” Saint Denis told reporters at Wednesday’s UFC Fight Night 243 media day (h/t La Sueur). “I’m here to take everything I can. First off, I need to put on a huge performance against Moicano. He’s a tough fight. I’m expecting a tough fight, and it’s going to be a war. Expect me to do my best to climb the division.”
Although Saint Denis was battling a staph infection heading into his fight with Poirier, his over aggressiveness led to him getting knocked out in Round 2. He has sought help from a new striking coach for this camp.
“Of course, what we want is the same fighter with a bit more responsibility defensively,” Saint Denis said. “This has been one of the keys around my preparation, and I’m ready to give a war and show this off.”
Moicano has leaned on his ground game throughout his career, finishing four of his past six wins by submission. However, Saint Denis is confident he can handle him everywhere.
“I’m a complete mixed martial artist, so it can go anywhere,” Saint Denis said. “We will bring it anywhere we can have our way.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 243.
