Benoit Saint Denis is still scheduled to compete at UFC 315 this Saturday, despite the unfortunate withdrawal of his initial opponent, Joel Alvarez, who suffered a hand injury forcing him off the card.
UFC officials confirmed on Monday that Saint Denis is now slated to face returning lightweight fighter Kyle Prepolec. Prepolec previously had a run with the promotion in 2019, where he compiled an 0-2 record.
Prepolec comes back to the UFC holding an overall professional record of 18-8. Since his last appearance in the promotion, he has accumulated a 4-1 record, including his current three-fight winning streak. Notably, all three of these recent victories have ended by knockout.
Prepolec will look to maintain this successful momentum against Saint Denis, who is widely regarded as one of the lightweight division`s promising contenders. Saint Denis, on the other hand, aims to get back to winning ways after experiencing two consecutive defeats.
Prior to his recent losses, Saint Denis was on an impressive five-fight winning streak, finishing all opponents via knockout or submission. This dominant run earned him a high-profile matchup against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier. Despite a hard-fought battle, Saint Denis was ultimately defeated by second-round submission.
His performance against Poirier, however, was recognized with Fight of the Night honors.
Saint Denis`s subsequent loss occurred against Renato Moicano during the UFC`s return event in France last September. His upcoming bout against Prepolec on Saturday will be his first fight of 2025.
The UFC 315 event is headlined by the welterweight title clash 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 definitive fight order for UFC 315 has not yet been announced. While Saint Denis`s original fight was positioned to open the pay-per-view main card, it remains to be seen if his new bout with replacement opponent Prepolec will retain that same prominent slot.
