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UFC’s “God of War” turns heads with bizarre training method for UFC 325 fight

"God of War" will face "The Hangman" in the co-main event of UFC 325.
Drew Beaupre|
(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

Top-ranked UFC lightweight contender Benoit Saint-Denis has apparently added an unorthodox exercise into his training camp for UFC 325.

We’re still more than a month away from the UFC’s return on January 24 and first card of the Paramount era with UFC 324, but fans will be treated to a solid one-two punch of events when UFC 325 also goes down in Australia the following weekend.

Headlined by a rematch between UFC Featherweight Champion Alexander Volkanovski and Diego Lopes, UFC 325 will also see Saint-Denis attempt to vault into the mix for a lightweight title shot when he takes on Dan Hooker in the night’s co-main event.

Benoit Saint-Denis Shares Bizarre Training Footage With Fans

The matchup with Hooker has rightfully been celebrated by the combat sports community as a clear pre-event frontrunner for “Fight of the Night” honors at UFC 325, and Saint-Denis recently showed MMA fans how he's trying to strengthen his neck before squaring off with “The Hangman”.

READ MORE: Ex-UFC champion raises questions about outcome of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

Currently sitting two spots ahead of Saint-Denis as the UFC’s #6-ranked lightweight contender, Hooker entered 2025 on a three-fight win streak but was submitted by Arman Tsarukyan in the second round of their UFC Qatar main event bout last month.

"God of War" On The Cusp Of UFC Title Contention

Hooker will be eager to return to the win column at UFC 325 when he meets Saint-Denis, but “God of War” looks to be in the best form of his UFC career after finishing all three opponents that he faced in 2025.

Jalin Turner (red gloves) fights Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena.
Jalin Turner (red gloves) fights Dan Hooker (blue gloves) during UFC 290 at T-Mobile Arena. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Saint-Denis joined the UFC with a perfect 8-0 record in 2021 but moved up a weight class to make his debut against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos, losing a unanimous decision at UFC 267.

READ MORE: Ex-UFC champion torches promotion for booking Paddy Pimblett title fight at UFC 324

The Frenchman rebounded impressively with five-straight stoppage-wins to break into the UFC lightweight rankings, but he was knocked out by Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 before losing to Renato Moicano via doctor’s stoppage at UFC Paris last year.

Benoit Saint Denis (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Mauricio Ruffy (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor A
Benoit Saint-Denis (red gloves) reacts after the fight against Mauricio Ruffy (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | Per Haljestam-Imagn Images

“God of War” scored back-to-back submissions over Kyle Prepolec and Maurico Ruffy before a sensational 16-second knockout of longtime UFC veteran Beneil Dariush in his last outing at UFC 322, and a win over Dan Hooker in January could put Saint-Denis squarely in the mix for what would be his first crack at UFC gold.

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Drew Beaupre
DREW BEAUPRE

Drew is an MMA writer that regularly watches regional events in addition to major promotions such as the UFC, PFL, Bellator, and ONE Championship. He joined MMA Knockout when it was founded in 2023.

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