In front of his home country, Benoit Saint Denis may have scored the biggest victory in his MMA career, finishing the rising Mauricio Ruffy in the UFC Paris co-main event.
Saint Denis got off to a quick start, pressuring Ruffy and getting him up against the fence. The action moved to the ground, and Saint Denis got into full mount just 60 seconds into the bout. Saint Denis looked to get to Ruffy's back, but Ruffy shook him off and brought the fight back to the feet. BSD would bring the action back to the ground, keeping Ruffy in his grasp until an accidental low blow, and then controlling the action on the feet in the round's final 40 seconds.
BSD remained in firm control, scoring a takedown during the second round before locking in a rear-naked choke and scoring the submission.
Benoit Saint Denis Submits Mauricio Ruffy At UFC Paris
Saint Denis has now won two straight and seven of his last nine. This marked his second straight submission win, following his submission of Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315.
This marks just the second loss of Ruffy's professional MMA career. He was 3-0 in the UFC entering this fight, coming into tonight off a head-kick knockout of King Green at UFC 313.