UFC 329 Star Shuts Down Health Concerns Ahead of McGregor vs. Holloway Fight Card

"God of War" assured fans that he's at 100% ahead of UFC 329.

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One of the biggest names competing at UFC 329 has addressed media and fan concerns about his health just a few days out from the event.

Scheduled to take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Saturday night, UFC 329 will see former two-division UFC titleholder Conor McGregor return from five years on the sidelines to rematch Max Holloway in the card’s headlining bout.

There are no belts on the line at UFC 329, but the co-main slot does feature a major fight for the lightweight title picture with former interim title challenger Paddy Pimblett returning to face Benoit Saint-Denis.

Benoit Saint-Denis Addresses Pre-UFC 329 Staph Speculation

Coming into UFC 329 in arguably the best form of his UFC career, Saint-Denis definitively shut down rumors that he’s carrying a staph infection ahead of the matchup with Pimblett.

“No, I don’t have staph,” Saint-Denis told RMC Sport Combat (h/t Championship Rounds). Things can move very quickly on social media now, and it gets a bit ridiculous. I did have a scab on my foot, yes, but it’s not staph…That’s all it was. These are things that can happen, but the camp was managed very well.”

Benoit Saint-Denis before his fight with Dustin Poirier during UFC 299 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Viral images of Saint-Denis hitting a heavy bag ahead of UFC 329 are what initially kicked off speculation that “God of War” might be dealing with a staph infection.

Benoit Saint-Denis is checked by medical staff members after his loss to Dustin Poirier during UFC 299 at Kaseya Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Such infections are a common hazard encountered by professional fighters that spend much of their time training on mats, but concerns about Saint-Denis’ health this week were not without precedence. “God of War” previously admitted that a staph infection was a contributing factor to his losing effort against Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in 2024.

Could Saint-Denis Earn a Lightweight Title Shot at UFC 329?

Currently sitting at #5 in the new Meta AI rankings for the UFC lightweight division, Saint-Denis joined the UFC on short notice in 2021 and suffered a unanimous decision loss to Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in a welterweight bout at UFC 267.

Benoit Saint-Denis (red gloves) before the fight against Mauricio Ruffy (blue gloves) during UFC Fight Night at Accor Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Returning to his natural lightweight division after suffering the first loss of his career, the Frenchman went on a five-fight run of finishes to earn a step up in competition against future UFC Hall of Famer Poirier at UFC 299.

Benoit Saint Denis (blue gloves) reacts after defeating Beneil Dariush (red gloves) in the lightweight bout during UFC 322 at Madison Square Garden. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“God of War” was knocked out in that fight before he was also stopped by Renato Moicano in the main event of UFC Paris in 2024, but since then he’s rebounded with four-straight finishes and has defeated top-ranked lightweights Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush, and Dan Hooker during that run.

Paddy Pimblett Returns After Failed UFC Title Bid vs. Justin Gaethje

Although he’s ranked several spots below Saint-Denis at #9 in the Meta AI UFC rankings, a matchup with Pimblett represents a chance for “God of War” to potentially put himself next in line for a lightweight title shot.

Paddy Pimblett (blue gloves) before the fight against Justin Gaethje (red gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

A former Cage Warriors champion, Pimblett scored a first-round knockout in his UFC debut in 2021 and ended up securing three-straight “Performance of the Night” bonuses to begin his career with the promotion.

Justin Gaethje (red gloves) fights Paddy Pimblett (blue gloves) during UFC 324 at T-Mobile Arena. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“The Baddy” eventually brought his UFC record to 7-0 before getting a massive opportunity in the main event of UFC 324 opposite Justin Gaethje. Pimblett ended up dropping a unanimous decision in that interim title fight, and Gaethje went on to unify the lightweight belts with a stunning upset of Ilia Topuria in the headlining bout for “UFC Freedom 250” last month.