Benoit Saint Denis is confirmed to fight at UFC 315 this Saturday, despite a change in opponent. His original opponent, Joel Alvarez, withdrew from the card due to a hand injury.
UFC officials announced on Monday that Saint Denis will now face Kyle Prepolec, a lightweight returning to the promotion. Prepolec previously had a 0-2 record in the UFC dating back to 2019. This news was initially reported by Aaron Bronsteter on Twitter.
Prepolec returns with an overall professional record of 18-8. Since his initial exit from the UFC, he has compiled a 4-1 record, including a current three-fight winning streak. All three of these recent victories came by knockout.
Prepolec aims to continue his positive momentum against Saint Denis, who is widely regarded as one of the top prospects in the lightweight division. Saint Denis is himself looking to rebound after suffering two consecutive losses.
Before these recent setbacks, Saint Denis had an impressive run of five straight wins, all secured by knockout or submission finishes. This successful streak earned him a high-profile fight against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. In that hard-fought bout, Saint Denis was ultimately submitted in the second round.
Despite the loss, his performance against Poirier earned him `Fight of the Night` honors.
Following the Poirier fight, Saint Denis lost to Renato Moicano during the UFC`s return to France last September. Now, he is set for his first fight of 2025, facing Prepolec this Saturday.
UFC 315 is headlined by the welterweight title fight between champion Belal Muhammad and challenger Jack Della Maddalena. The co-main event features flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko defending her belt against French striker Manon Fiorot.
The complete fight order for UFC 315 has not yet been finalized. Saint Denis was initially scheduled to open the pay-per-view main card, but it is currently unclear if he will retain that position with Prepolec stepping in as the replacement opponent.
