Benoit Saint Denis to face Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315

No. 13-ranked lightweight Benoit Saint Denis will now face Canadian veteran Kyle Prepolec, following the withdrawal of Joel Alvarez due to injury.

There was speculation over whether Saint Denis would remain on the card after top-10 contender Mateusz Gamrot claimed the Frenchman turned down a short-notice fight.

Instead, Saint Denis has accepted a bout against 35-year-old Prepolec, who steps in on just a few days’ notice for a high-stakes UFC return.

Prepolec previously competed in the UFC in 2019, where he suffered decision losses to Nordine Taleb and Austin Hubbard before being released.

Since then, the Ontario native has stayed active on the Canadian regional scene, going 4-1 and improving his professional record to 18-8.

For Saint Denis, this fight offers a crucial chance to regain momentum.

After a breakout stretch in 2022 and 2023 that included five consecutive stoppage wins, the Frenchman hit a rough patch in 2024, suffering a knockout loss to Dustin Poirier in March and a TKO defeat to Renato Moicano in September.

Saint Denis vs. Prepolec is set for the main card of UFC 315, a pay-per-view event headlined by a welterweight title bout between Belal Muhammad and Jack Della Maddalena.

The co-main event features a highly anticipated women’s flyweight title fight between former champion Valentina Shevchenko and rising contender Manon Fiorot.