Benoit Saint Denis is no stranger to battling through a staph infection.
At UFC 329, Saint Denis faces Paddy Pimblett in a high-stakes clash in the lightweight division that is set for the co-main event.
Pimblett admitted that he was training through injury at the start of his camp before the matchup was made official for July 11.
While he will have had enough time to recover at this stage, a recent post on social media led fans to speculate that the Brit’s opponent may be entering the Octagon at less than 100%.
How will Paddy Pimblett vs. Benoit Saint-Denis play out at UFC 329?
Fans convinced Benoit Saint Denis is battling another infection heading into UFC 329
After being beaten by Dustin Poirier in 2024, Benoit Saint Denis confirmed that an infection hindered his performance heading into the biggest fight of his career.
Fans expressed similar concerns surrounding Saint Denis heading into UFC 325 last year following speculation that he had a staph infection.
This narrative has come back around for a third time following various posts on social media that highlighted a mark on his right ankle from what appears to be a recent training photo.
Reactions from fans referenced the previous infection concerns, with one user writing, ‘He has staph every camp’ while another added, ‘No, staph infection has him.’
Commenters stated that you should ‘bet the house’ on ‘The Baddy’ and that ‘Emperor Pimblett will make easy work of this kid’ after buying into this theory.
Others seemed to suggest that it’s not the big concern that others are making it out to be, despite the impact that an infection can have on a fighter’s performance.
‘The god of war doesn’t believe in bathing,’ replied one fan.
‘Dude’s got nicks and bumps every camp, I’m not even concerned at this point,’ wrote another, despite many sharing their concerns.
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