Benoit Saint-Denis played spoiler last night (Sat., Jan. 31, 2026) at UFC 325 LIVE on Paramount+ from inside Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, Australia, stopping fan favorite Dan Hooker with a second-round TKO (elbows and punches) in the co-main event.
This lightweight matchup was another reason why UFC 325 was a must-watch. Saint-Denis is one of the most violent fighters at 155 pounds and riding a three-fight win streak coming into Saturday night. Hooker, who was coming off a submission loss to Arman Tsarukyan last November, is one to never count out. “Hangman” has proven to be out of the most durable and game contenders in the lightweight division, especially when he’s fighting close to home.
Both lightweights delivered moments in the first round. Hooker found success with whipping kicks to the body that stunned BSD petty bad. Saint-Denis had the more damaging offense, though, and ended the first round on top of Hooker raining down ground-and-pound.
Hooker regained some momentum in the second round and appeared to be finding a bit of a groove, but he inexplicably attempted a takedown that Saint-Denis —who is the better grappler — reversed and ended up in full mount. From there, Saint-Denis punished Hooker with countless elbows and punches that forced referee Herb Dean to finally step in (maybe even a little too late).
Check out the video highlights below:
