The co-main event of UFC Paris saw Fighting Nerd Mauricio Ruffy take on tough-as-nails French lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis.
BSD had snapped a two-fight skid in May when he defeated short-notice replacement Kyle Prepolec, while Ruffy had been on a tear since entering the UFC. Undefeated through three fights with the company and on a seven-fight win streak overall.
It was inside of a minute when Benoit Saint-Denis got the fight down, getting on top of Ruffy. It wouldn’t last, as Ruffy was able to make it back to his feet. Yet BSD was back on him against the fence, punching his way in, getting the fight down once again. Ruffy turned, but wound up on his back again, allowing Saint-Denis to set up an arm-triangle. He didn’t have it, and they’d end up on the feet again, where a foul briefly halted the action. They’d close out the round trading, in a strong start for the French star.
Round two saw BSD on his back inside of a minute, but Ruffy let him back up. Perhaps a mistake, as when they went down again, it was Saint-Denis on the back of the Brazilian. He got an arm under the chin, and while it didn’t seem like it was in tight, with a bit of adjustment, Ruffy was stuck. No place to go, unable to fight the choke, he was forced to tap, giving Benoit Saint-Denis a huge win at home.
Official Result: Benoit Saint-Denis def. Mauricio Ruffy by submission (rear-naked choke), Round 2, 2:56
