Benoit Saint Denis Army: ‘God of War’ Served in French Special Forces Before Joining the UFC

Most fans might be well aware of his UFC 299 co-main eventer, Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier’s UFC affairs and personal life. However, several reports are also saying that his rival, Benoit Saint-Denis, used to serve in the French Special Forces before joining the UFC.

But in luck of being a comparatively lesser-known face, most fans may be in the dark about Saint-Denis’ career in the Special Forces. So here, let’s take a look at the rank, achievements, and other FAQs that the fans have about Benoit Saint-Denis’ Special Forces career.

When did Benoit Saint-Denis get into the French Special Forces?

Benoit Saint-Denis reportedly served a tenure of five years in the French Army. However, it’s not clear when he got selected as a Special Forces officer. The ‘God of War’ served in the French Army from 2014 and left in 2019.

Did Benoit Saint-Denis have a background in martial arts before getting into the French Army?

‘God Of War’ didn’t have to go far from home to seek inspiration to get into martial arts. He followed in his father’s footsteps and earned a black belt in judo. However, he also trained in jiu-jitsu and improved his striking later on.

In which department of the French Special Forces did Benoit Saint-Denis serve?

Well, it may not be clear when Benoit Saint-Denis got into the French Special Forces after joining the Army. But one of his interviews with ‘The Independent’ revealed that he was in the French Special Air Service (SAS).

 

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Saint-Denis also detailed how his department was formed during the interview as well.

What led to the formation of the French Special Air Service in the French Special Forces?

Saint-Denis detailed that forming Special Air Service departments was a British idea that came during World War II. However, Britain’s French allies built up their own Special Air Service Department to hunt down German aircraft in North Africa.

The division exists to date and ‘God of War’ was a part of the same unit during his time in the Special Forces.

What kind of operations has Benoit Saint-Denis been a part of during his Special Forces tenure?

‘God Of War’ detailed that he too had been posted in North Africa only during his time in the French Special Air Service department. Saint-Denis said that he and his team mostly went for counter-terrorism operations across the countries of Mali, Burkina Faso, etc. He also has experience in fighting infamous terrorist groups like Boko Haram.

He finally decided to leave his position in the Special Forces in 2019. Within two years of training, ‘God Of War’ made his place in the UFC as well. Except for one loss in his debut, ‘God Of War’ has finished all of his other UFC rivals to date. Hence, it’s quite apparent that ‘The Diamond’ will make a big mistake if he underestimates the Frenchman’s prowess in any way.