At UFC Fight Night 258 in Paris, hometown favorite Benoît Saint Denis delivered a dominant grappling display to submit rising contender Maurício Ruffy in the co-main event. Saint Denis immediately pressed forward, scoring multiple takedowns and advancing to dominant positions, including mount and back control. Although Ruffy had brief moments of success stuffing shots and reversing position, Saint Denis’s relentless clinch work and pressure wore him down. In Round 2, after another takedown and back take, Saint Denis landed heavy shots before sinking in a rear-naked choke at 2:56 to secure the tap, improving to 15–3 overall and 7–3 in the UFC while handing Ruffy his first promotional loss.
The next logical step for Saint Denis is a matchup with top-10 contender Mateusz Gamrot. The Polish standout is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Ľudovít Klein in May and has repeatedly called out Saint Denis on social media, even challenging him to fight in December. This fight would pit two elite grapplers with high-paced, grinding styles against each other in what could be a title-eliminator bout for the lightweight division.
Stylistically, this matchup promises fireworks. Saint Denis thrives on relentless takedowns, pressure, and submissions, while Gamrot’s scrambling ability, chain wrestling, and cardio have carried him to wins over Rafael dos Anjos, Arman Tsarukyan, and Rafael Fiziev. Both fighters have shown improvements in their striking, but their grappling exchanges could be some of the most exciting in the division. For Saint Denis, it’s a chance to prove he belongs in the lightweight top ten. For Gamrot, it’s an opportunity to defend his ranking against one of the division’s fastest-rising stars.
Last Five Fights – Benoît Saint Denis:
1. Win over Maurício Ruffy – Submission (rear-naked choke), UFC Fight Night: Imavov vs. Borralho (September 6, 2025)
2. Win over Kyle Prepolec – Submission (arm-triangle choke), UFC 315 (May 10, 2025)
3. Loss to Renato Moicano – TKO (doctor stoppage), UFC Fight Night: Moicano vs. Saint Denis (September 28, 2024)
4. Loss to Dustin Poirier – KO (punches), UFC 299 (March 9, 2024)
5. Win over Matt Frevola – KO (head kick), UFC 295 (November 11, 2023)
Last Five Fights – Mateusz Gamrot:
1. Win over Ľudovít Klein – Decision (unanimous), UFC on ESPN: Gamrot vs. Klein (May 31, 2025)
2. Loss to Dan Hooker – Decision (split), UFC 305 (August 18, 2024)
3. Win over Rafael dos Anjos – Decision (unanimous), UFC 299 (March 9, 2024)
4. Win over Rafael Fiziev – TKO (knee injury), UFC Fight Night: Fiziev vs. Gamrot (September 23, 2023)
5. Win over Jalin Turner – Decision (split), UFC 285 (March 4, 2023)