by Adam Josephson
Photo credit: Getty/UFC
Lightweight contender Benoit St. Denis is aiming for his third consecutive victory in Paris at the upcoming UFC Fight Night on September 28. St. Denis (13-2, 1 NC), a native of Bayonne, France, is set to face the rejuvenated 155-pound fighter Renato Carneiro (19-5-1), as first reported by Ag. Fight. While the contracts are yet to be signed, both fighters have verbally agreed to the bout, and the news has been corroborated by multiple sources.
The event will take place at the Accor Arena, and currently, the only other confirmed fight on the card is a featherweight clash between Joanderson Brito and William Gomis. There are also rumors circulating that Ciryl Gane may headline the event.
St. Denis has previously fought at both UFC events held in Paris, securing finishes over Gabriel Miranda in 2022 and Thiago Moises in 2023. However, his most recent outing saw him suffer a setback against Dustin Poirier at UFC 299, where he was defeated by strikes in a title eliminator, ending his five-fight finish streak that included victories over Matt Frevola and Ismael Bonfim.
Renato Carneiro, also known as ‘Moicano’, is currently experiencing his best winning streak since joining the UFC in 2014. The 35-year-old Brazilian notched his first win via strikes this April, stopping Jalin Turner with elbows and punches. Prior to that, he secured victories over Brad Riddell by submission in 2022 and outpointed Drew Dober in 2024. Carneiro’s win over Turner was particularly notable, as it marked the first time the submission specialist had finished a fight with strikes, with all his previous stoppages coming by way of submission.
