The co main event of UFC 325 brought a high level lightweight fight to Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney. Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis met in a bout that had big meaning for both men. Hooker wanted to recover from a tough loss, while Saint Denis aimed to continue his rise in the division.
Hooker came in with a record of 24 wins and 13 losses. His last fight ended in a submission defeat to Arman Tsarukyan, and this match was a chance to show he still belongs among the top names. Known for his toughness and long striking game, Hooker tried to keep the fight at a distance.
Saint Denis entered with a record of 16 wins, 3 losses, and 1 no contest. His recent run included strong wins and a very fast knockout of Beneil Dariush. Even after earlier setbacks against Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, he proved he was still dangerous with his mix of pressure, grappling, and power.
Round One
Saint Denis opened the fight by looking for takedowns right away. Hooker defended well at first and answered with hard kicks to the body. Those shots landed clean and slowed Saint Denis for a moment.
The action moved between striking and clinch work. Hooker kept firing to the body and did a good job stopping early wrestling attempts. Saint Denis stayed busy and finally got the fight to the mat with a strong throw. From the top, he worked with short strikes and looked for an arm attack.
Hooker managed to get back to his feet, and they traded punches again. The pace stayed high until the end of the round, with Saint Denis finishing the final moments on top and landing more shots.
Round Two
Saint Denis wasted no time and pushed forward again. He mixed strikes with another takedown attempt and forced Hooker into a scramble. After a brief exchange on the feet, Saint Denis secured top position once more.
From there, the fight began to tilt in one direction. Saint Denis held full mount and started to land elbows and punches. He looked for submissions but stayed focused on control and damage. Hooker tried to defend and move, but the pressure did not stop.
More elbows followed. The referee asked Hooker to respond, but the strikes kept coming. With Hooker no longer able to protect himself in a smart way, the fight was stopped.
Official Result
Benoit Saint Denis defeated Dan Hooker by TKO in the second round at 4 minutes and 45 seconds.
Saint Denis spoke about the challenge Hooker gave him and explained why he changed his approach during the bout.
He said, “I’m going to be champion with this shit, because no one is going to do this [three rounds] with me. Nobody. Give me the f*cking belt. I’m ready. … For me, there’s only Max Holloway, Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Ilia Topuria I have in mind.
“Arman as well, you say No. 1 contender, I’m going to take your f*cking spot. I’m here to be the champion.”
He also gave credit to Hooker for managing distance early, which forced him to return to what he called his “seek and destroy” style.
The win moves Saint Denis closer to the top group at lightweight and adds another strong performance to his recent run. His mix of pressure and ground control once again proved hard to deal with.
For Hooker, the loss is another setback, but his toughness and early work showed he can still compete at a high level. The result, however, belongs to Saint Denis, who left Sydney with a clear and powerful statement.
Watch the highlights below:
Dominant outing for @BenoitSt_Denis tonight 🇫🇷
He gets his fourth consecutive victory at #UFC325!
[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/VXq9jXnx2p
— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2026
Dominated this one from the start 💪@BenoitSt_Denis takes his win streak to 4! #UFC325
[ LIVE on @ParamountPlus ] pic.twitter.com/OC0gserbf9
— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2026
He has all the top lightweights in mind 👀
[ #UFC325 | @BenoitSt_Denis ] pic.twitter.com/0yCjVr6PQh
— UFC (@ufc) February 1, 2026
