Before UFC 315, Benoit Saint Denis reveals 'huge mistake' from last training camp
Benoit Saint Denis made a major change for his UFC 315 training camp.
Saint Denis (13-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) will look to snap a two-fight losing skid when he meets the returning Kyle Prepolec on Saturday at Bell Centre in Montreal (pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+).
The rising French lightweight saw his title hopes dashed when he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 299. He then took on Renato Moicano in the UFC Fight Night 243 headliner this past September but was bloodied and battered in a second-round, doctor's stoppage TKO loss.
Ahead of his return, Saint Denis made a stunning revelation.
"I made a huge mistake to be the general and the soldier," Saint Denis told UFC News. "I was the one coaching myself. I had a lot of coaches for separate disciplines, but I didn't have a head coach. It was a huge mistake because when I entered the fight, I didn't know how to start it or what were the keys to victory.
"I knew it, and after the first round, I had a strong second round, but Renato did a good job, and one of my eyes got closed. Despite being well prepared, it got him the victory. It's because I had the worst round of my life because I was the head coach of my camp, and you cannot do that. You have to be a soldier inside the cage."
Saint Denis was originally scheduled to face Joel Alvarez but wound up drawing Prepolec (18-8 MMA, 0-2 UFC) after Alvarez withdrew.
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