UFC 325 left, Volk defended his title against Diego Lopes in their rematch. Undeniable, he’s the GOAT, ties with Jose Aldo in featherweight.

But what people might not notice, Benoit Saint Denis also had his night in Australia, when he defeated Dan Hooker in a dominant way.

Let’s focus on this one.

1️⃣ Round 1: Distance Manage vs The Rush Takedown

From the opening seconds, the gameplans were clear:
Dan Hooker immediately established range using long kicks, the same distance-heavy approach he used against Arman Tsarukyan. The goal was simple: force Benoit Saint Denis to stay in open space and neutralize the grappling.

Saint Denis, however, answered with nonstop forward pressure. Not measured entries. Not setups. Just constant collapse.

For the first half of the round, Hooker took the lead of this exchange when he:

• Defended the takedowns
• Escaped the angles
• Forced BSD to reset repeatedly

📌 The First Takedown and The Fight Shift

The momentum shifted during a grappling exchange when Saint Denis, after a few trials, finally succeeded with an outside trip and landed on top in side control.

This moment mattered more than it looked.
Saint Denis immediately attacked the kimura, a submission, but also a control mechanism.
Hooker escaped, but it was clear: grappling exchanges favor for the French man.

They returned to the feet, but the tone had changed.

📌 Pressure From BSD and a Familiar Situation

Saint Denis turned the fight chaotic. Wild pressure. Forward strikes. Minimal head movement.
This should sound familiar. It was almost the exact same rhythm that got him knocked out by Dustin Poirier.

Hooker even found the same answer, clean strikes disrupt the pressure, looking for the snipe moment.
But unlike Poirier, Saint Denis successfully closed the distance this time, secured another takedown, and ended the round in ground control.

2️⃣ Round 2: A Single Choice Leads to The Finish

Saint Denis wasted no time. Immediate fence pressure. Immediate shot.
Hooker threated with a guillotine attempt, but BSD calmly rolled out. No scramble loss.

Then came the turning point.
Hooker attempted a throw in panic moment, forgot clearing his leg position. His base collapsed, BSD cleared the leg, reversed, and landed directly in mount.
Even worse, Hooker’s arm became trapped by Saint Denis’ leg, removing his ability to frame or shrimp effectively.

Saint Denis didn’t rush a submission. He damaged Hooker’s face with ground and pound instead – Elbows. Hammers. Control.
Hooker defended arm triangle, but can’t defend pressures and strikes forever, his face was damaged badly.

Herb Dean saw enough and decided to step in.

❌ Dan Hooker’s Mistake

The game plan was correct. But the execution wasn’t.

Hooker had already proven he could:

• Manage distance
• Punish entries
• Survive pressure without grappling

But instead of committing to that identity, he chose to wrestle and try to submit against a stronger grappler.

This is not new.
The same decision-making error appeared against Arman Tsarukyan, where submission attempts backfired into dominant top control. Hooker also paid a price for his decision on this.

So does the the pattern:

In both of the two lost, Hooker chooses grappling exchanges instead of disengagement, the fight tilts sharply against him.

⚠️ The Hole in Benoit Saint Denis’ Style (Still There)

Even in victory, Saint Denis exposed the same flaw that got him knocked out by Poirier.

His pressure relies on chaotic before structure.

He:

• Walks into range
• Accepts strikes to close distance
• Leaves his head available during entries

Hooker almost punished this with the same situation that ended BSD’s previous loss.

Against a sharper counter striker, that moment might ends differently. And we already see that.

Saint Denis wins because his grappling is real.
But the path he takes to get there is the risky one for him.

Do you think Benoit Saint Denis stance a chance against other grappler such as Arman, Oliveira? Or just another fraud need to check?

Related posts:

What Casual Fans Miss When Watching Grappling in MMA UFC – A Journey from Zero to World Biggest MMA Promotion More Illegal Moves That You Can’t Use Inside UFC Octagon The Middleweight Throne: How UFC’s Most Balanced Division Forged Its Legends