mobile app bar

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

Souvik Roy
Published

Benoit Saint Denis Army: Was 'God of War' in the Special Forces? What Was His Rank? and Other FAQs

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).

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.

Post Edited By:Afnan Chougle

About the author

Souvik Roy

Souvik Roy

facebook-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

The coveted boxing bout between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002 was the first combat sports event that Souvik ever witnessed. However, he fell for the UFC when he knew about it in 2010. After starting as an occasional viewer back then, Souvik has been watching UFC events almost regularly from late 2017. He began his career as a UFC(MMA) and combat sports journalist in the year 2022 after gathering a lot of valuable knowledge about MMA and a few other combat sports disciplines. He has written more than 1300 articles about various UFC and other combat sports events prior to joining The SportsRush. Apart from being a journalist, Souvik is also an ardent fan of the UFC. Hence, he always looks to have conversations about the same with others. He has a deep affinity for striking part of MMA and other combat sports and Dustin ‘The Diamond’ Poirier is the warrior of his choice in the current UFC roster. Souvik also serves as the Lead Vocalist of a rock band during his time free from publishing reports.

Share this article