Mauricio Ruffy vs. Benoit Saint-Denis squared off in a Lightweight contest earlier tonight (Sat. Sept. 6, 2025) live on ESPN+ inside Accor Arena in Paris, France. In a one-sided beatdown, Saint-Denis secured the second round stoppage victory.
Saint-Denis opened the fight with a heavy left kick connection and then began to look for the takedown. After a couple failed attempts, he landed a clinch trip into excellent position. A moment later, Saint-Denis was in mount, less than a minute into the fight!
The French fighter attacked an arm triangle choke then took the back. Somehow, Ruffy reversed and escaped to his feet.
The Saint-Denis assault did not relent, however, as he landed another double leg along the fence within seconds. The French crowd sang loudly as Saint Denis advanced through the guard. Once more, he was climbing up the body, threatening the arm triangle choke. Ruffy defended the strangle and escaped back to his feet, where an iffy groin strike paused the action. Saint-Denis landed some hard body kicks before the bell.
Did Ruffy land a single punch in round one?
Saint-Denis wasted little time in getting back on the pressure. Ruffy was a little more prepared and timed a flying knee. Then, he reversed a Saint-Denis takedown. Ruffy was pulling some momentum back to his corner, but the Brazilian looked tired and noticeably slower than usual after that hectic opening round. After an extended clinch exchange, Saint-Denis secured another takedown. Saint-Denis jumped the back, and after some hand-fighting, secured a nasty jaw crank to force the tap.
Without a doubt, this was the finest performance of Saint-Denis’ career. “The God of War” wisely stuck to a kicks-and-takedowns game plan, avoiding the ferocious boxing of Ruffy. After a few minutes of nonstop wrestling, Ruffy was a lot less dangerous on the feet. Saint-Denis controlled the whole fight, hardly letting Ruffy land a shot.
Maybe the French star is ready for another shot at a Top 10 foe after consecutive wins?
Result: Saint-Denis defeats Ruffy via second-round rear naked choke
For complete UFC Paris results and play-by-play, click here.
