Saint-Denis, who was born in Nimes, southern France, formed part of the French Army Special Forces when he joined aged 18.”Most of my work as a Special Force operator was in the sub-Saharan area. So Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger. I was mostly there against Boko Haram,” says Saint-Denis.Boko Haram is a militant Islamist group, designated as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, which operates in countries such as Nigeria, Niger and Mali.Saint-Denis’ work largely involved working in counter-terrorism to combat the threat of groups like Boko Haram.”When we are talking about counter-terrorism, it’s going to be the arrest or the destruction of terrorist threats. Or stopping terrorist extractions in cities like Timbuktu, for example,” Saint-Denis says.His team were also tasked with protecting important members of the French government, like Hollande, during foreign visits.Saint-Denis looks back on his time in the French military fondly.”It was long and fatiguing and demanding, and after this I think I was a man – I was disciplined, and I knew how to work to get things done,” he says.”It was very adventurous, and I loved it.”Fighting terrorism and competing in the UFC are vastly different worlds with pressures of their own, but Saint-Denis does not have to dwell for long when deciding which is tougher.”It depends on the occasion, but globally, I would say being a UFC fighter,” he adds.
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UFC Paris: Benoit Saint-Denis protected presidents and fought terrorists before UFC
