“You have to be a soldier inside the cage,” declared Benoit Saint Denis ahead of his UFC 315 return. The French lightweight, still reeling from a brutal loss to Renato Moicano at UFC Paris, is set to step back into the Octagon to redeem himself. Ranked No. 13, Saint Denis will face Kyle Prepolec inside Montreal’s iconic Bell Centre. However, in the lead-up to the clash, fans have noticed something troubling about his current state, which is raising serious concerns before the showdown.

Benoit Saint Denis was scheduled to fight Spanish fighter Joel Alvarez at UFC 315. However, Alvarez pulled out at the last minute due to injury. The news was initially reported by several X handles and was later confirmed by the UFC. They announced that Kyle Prepolec, a former UFC fighter who went 0-2 in his first stint with the promotion, would step in as the replacement. ‘El Fenomeno’ announced Sunday via Instagram that a hand injury has forced him out of his lightweight fight. Saint Denis saved the card for the day, but his latest updates show a grim picture of his health.

A photo uploaded by KnockoutAlerts shows Benoît Saint-Denis in a very worrying state as he signs his UFC 315 posters. The fighter is dehydrated and looks like he doesn’t want to be there. His photos ahead of his battle raise a simple question: Is ‘God Of War’ ready to fight in UFC 315? The visual alone prompted an avalanche of reactions questioning whether ‘God of War’ is physically and mentally ready for Saturday night.

Saint-Denis is currently on a two-fight skid, and though those losses came against top-tier talent, UFC history has taught us that three straight defeats, especially in a stacked division like lightweight, can be career-altering. His urgency to bounce back is real, but the optics surrounding his preparation raise deeper concerns.

Fans worried as Benoit-Saint Denis appeared weak ahead of UFC 315

Starting off, a social media user added, “Alvarez would have retired him.” Let’s take a look at the numbers: Joel Alvarez(22-3) is riding a three-fight winning streak and has finished his last seven victories. A healthy Alvarez would have been a major problem for Saint-Denis, but it’s hard to ascertain whether he would have been able to retire him. The 32-year-old fighter has ended all but one of his 22 career wins before the final bell, which makes him one of the division’s most dangerous finishers.

Furthermore, another fan added that Saint-Denis might have trained with his former opponents, Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, ahead of his UFC 315 bout.“He had camp with Dustin and Moicano,”  but reports suggest it’s not quite the truth, the Brazilian did invite Saint-Denis to train with him at the ATT, however, there is no indication that Saint Denis accepted this invitation.

In fact, Saint-Denis himself revealed a key error from his last outing,”I made a huge mistake by being both the general and the soldier,” Saint-Denis told UFC News. “I was coaching myself, with different coaches for separate disciplines, but I didn’t have a head coach. It was a huge mistake because when I entered the fight [against Moicano], I didn’t know how to start or what the keys to victory were.” Such self-managed camps are rare at the elite level and often detrimental, as history has shown with fighters like BJ Penn and Tony Ferguson in their later years. For UFC 315, Saint-Denis has reportedly adjusted course and surrounded himself with proper coaches, though neither Poirier nor Moicano are part of the setup.

Betting against Benoit-Saint Denis, a fan added, “Bet against this dude.” From the photo, it was evident that he looked severely dehydrated; however, during his conversation with the media, Saint-Denis appeared calm and composed. Looking at this, a fan added, “He look like he don’t wanna be there”

Furthermore, another social media user asserted, “This guy always has something going on before a fight.” Last but not the least, a fan believes that Saint-Denis should choose a better camp than his current one, “he needs to find a new camp”

What’s your take on Saint-Denis’ form and future? Is this just a rough weight cut or something more serious? Let us know in the comments.