#12 ranked UFC lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis will face #3 ranked Dustin Poirier in a much-awaited bout at UFC 299 that may determine the future of the lightweight division. Poirier, who will be making his 30th UFC appearance in the octagon, has only fought top-ranked guys over the past five years.

But Saint-Denis, despite his ranking, has made quite an impact just six fights into his UFC career, having finished his last five opponents within two rounds. If he can defeat the former interim champion, ‘BSD’ will be a serious title contender right away who could fight for the 155-pound title by the end of next year. As he sets up for the most important fight of his career, let us take a look at his walkout song, which holds special significance for him.

What is Benoit Saint-Denis’ walkout song?

Benoit Saint-Denis started training in martial arts at a young age, beginning with judo, in which he earned a black belt. His father, a former Special Forces operative and former judo competitor himself encouraged his martial arts journey.

‘BSD’ followed in his father’s footsteps and joined the French Special Forces before he started training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He decided to leave the Special Forces after five years to pursue his dream of becoming a professional martial artist. And his upcoming bout against Dustin Poirier is the perfect stage for him to announce himself to the UFC world and be considered a serious title threat.

Saint Denis is among the new generation of MMA talent coming out of France and is proud of his French heritage. This is reflected in his choice of his walkout song. Throughout his career, ‘BSD’ has walked out to the amalgam of two songs- Seine Saint-Denis Style by Supreme NTM and Le Chant des Commandos’, which is intimately connected with his military past.

The connection of Benoit Saint-Denis’ walkout song to his past

As a child, Benoit Saint-Denis wanted to be a knight since they protect the weak and serve others. And since knights do not exist in the modern world, the Frenchman did the second best thing and joined the army straight out of school.

When I was a little child I wanted to be a knight because the knight is the one protecting the weak. Then I wanted to be in Special Forces. it’s mostly counter-terrorism, protection of high-value personalities like the President, ministers [and] it’s also a help for the country, and you serve not only for yourself but for people, it’s something I wanted to do,” ‘BSD’ would say of his decision to join the army.

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He was recruited into the elite French Special Forces and went on many missions, including dealing with terrorists in Mali. His walkout song, ‘Le Chant des Commandos/Saint Denis‘ is an ode to his fellow soldiers and a tribute to his military service.

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