The coach who was ousted by ranked UFC lightweight Benoit Saint-Denis last year has not held back with his assessment of their split and his ex-fighter’s ability.
Saint-Denis looked like he was on a fast-track up the UFC’s 155-pound ladder after winning his first five fights in the division, including a memorable head-kick knockout against Matt Frevola at Madison Square Garden.
That result earned the Frenchman a shot at breaking into title contention against top-five contender and former interim champion Dustin Poirier early 2024. But after a strong opening round, Saint-Denis was knocked out by Poirier at UFC 299 in Miami.
The brutal result brought about changes in the camp of ‘God of War’, as he left longtime coach Daniel Woirin after five years together. Unfortunately, the split was far from amicable.
Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLCBenoit Saint-Denis laid into by ex-coach who puts him well ‘below’ other fighters he’s trained
Woirin has coached some of the best names to have graced the Octagon, including GOAT contender Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida, and Dan Henderson.
Though he had hoped to carry Saint-Denis to similar success on MMA’s biggest stage, the defeat to Poirier cut that journey short, and it seems that Woirin is still not over his ex-fighter’s decision.
During a recent appearance on the Biomécanique podcast, the coach slammed Saint-Denis for the manner in which he delivered news of his decision and downplayed his skills when compared to other fighters he has trained.
“Our split was purely about money, not skills,” Woirin said (translation via @MMArena_).
“When you get dumped via a text message, well…a phone call, it hurts.
“Benoit is really below all those guys (Silva, Machida, and Henderson),” Woirin continued. “He’s very well-known, but he doesn’t hold a candle to them. Maybe he’ll get there, we hope so for him.”
Saint-Denis was destroyed by Renato Moicano in the first fight with his new team, but the French star has since bounced back by submitting newcomer Kyle Prepolec at UFC 315 this past May.
Benoit Saint-Denis’ friend responds to ‘toxic’ ex-coach with a different side of the story
While Saint-Denis has yet to comment on Woirin’s latest remarks, it did not take long for a friend and fellow fighter to speak up on his behalf.
Former Brave CF champion and current Ares FC star Amin Ayoub lived up to his ‘Fierceness’ nickname by hitting back at coach Woirin.
The 25-5 welterweight accused the veteran trainer of threatening to not show up to corner Saint-Denis for a fight unless his pay was increased just one week before.
“Toxic behavior from (an) ex,” French fighter Amin Ayoub wrote on X. “But he doesn’t want to explain that just 1 week before his fight, he threatens his fighter to renegotiate a sum or not show up in his corner
“No, life is harsh, tell the truth sometimes, don’t you think?”