Benoit-Saint Denis is set to face Kyle Prepolec on the main card of UFC 315 this weekend. He was originally set to face Joel Alvarez at the pay-per-view event, scheduled for May 10, but the latter had to pull out due to an injury.
Ahead of the fight, the top-15 UFC lightweight made a shocking revelation about his recent fight camps.
Benoit Saint-Denis Admits Coaching Himself Was a “Huge Mistake”
Saint-Denis recently disclosed that he has been self-coaching through recent fights — a revelation that left many stunned ahead of UFC 315.
Following two brutal losses in 2024 to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, Saint-Denis took full responsibility for his setbacks — and revealed that much of the blame lies in his decision to act as his own head coach.
Speaking to UFC News ahead of his fight, Saint-Denis confessed that he had been managing his fight camps without a central coach guiding the overall strategy.
“I made a huge mistake by being both the general and the soldier,” Saint-Denis said. “I was coaching myself, with different coaches for separate disciplines, but I didn’t have a head coach. It was a huge mistake. When I entered the fight against Moicano, I didn’t even know how to start or what the keys to victory were.”
Despite a brief rally in the second round of that fight, a swollen eye and lack of clear corner direction led to a TKO loss. The Frenchman admitted he had to learn the hard way that fighters at the elite level can’t afford to split focus between strategy and execution. “You have to be a soldier inside the cage,” he added.
Fans flooded social media with reactions ranging from disbelief to amusement.
One said, “Having an actual head coach seems like a no-brainer, especially at the UFC level.”
“He was probably trying to save money. Like when I cut my own hair instead of going to the barber — yeah, bad idea,” joked another.
“He left his original coach who was the real deal and always gave him good advice, idiot,” said a third.
“Why would anyone do this,” another fan exclaimed in shock.
Bro what
— YJ 🔌 (@YJCapital) May 7, 2025
When you have the same coaching as Dillon Danis, You know you’ve made a mistake
— 145 Aljo SZN 🎒👑 (@BackPackAlga) May 7, 2025
With a proper coach now guiding his training, Saint-Denis aims to bounce back in dominant fashion this Saturday against Prepolec. The bout marks a crucial opportunity to re-establish himself as a serious contender in the stacked lightweight division.
A Look Into Benoit Saint-Denis’ UFC Journey
Benoit Saint-Denis debuted in the UFC on short notice at UFC 267 in 2021, losing a welterweight bout via decision to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
After dropping to lightweight in 2022, he picked up steam with an impressive submission win over Niklas Stolze, followed by a TKO of Gabriel Miranda in Paris — a performance that earned him a bonus.
Injuries and opponent changes complicated his 2023, but Saint-Denis returned strong with back-to-back finishes of Ismael Bonfim and Thiago Moisés. His 2023 campaign closed with a blistering first-round knockout of Matt Frevola at UFC 295, securing another “Performance of the Night” bonus.
However, 2024 proved far more punishing.
In March, he was knocked out by former interim champion Dustin Poirier at UFC 299. Then in September, Saint-Denis suffered a second-round doctor stoppage loss to Renato Moicano after significant damage to his right eye.
A win against Prepolec in Montreal, Canada should put him back on track for lightweight contendership.