Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint Denis meet in the co-main event of UFC 325 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Saturday. Check out MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom’s quick analysis of the fight.
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Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint-Denis UFC 325 Preview
Hooker (24-13 MMA, 14-9 UFC) is looking to get back on track after losing to Arman Tsarukyan in November. That game ended a three-game winning streak for Hooker, which included a stop by Claudio Puels and two nods from Jarlin Turner and Mateusz Gamrot.
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Saint-Denis (16-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) enters a three-fight win streak that includes stoppages for Kyle Prepolek, Mauricio Rufe and Bernier Darish. Saint-Denis hasn’t tasted defeat since a doctor’s stoppage TKO against Renato Moicano in September 2024.
Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint-Denis UFC 325 Expert Picks, Predictions
The Sydney co-main event features a lightweight fight between Dan Hooker and Benoit Saint-Denis.
Both fighters are going through this fight relatively quickly, but it should be interesting as long as it lasts.
While I have nothing against Saint-Denis winning, I also have to point out that the Frenchman has traditionally struggled when making the jump to ranked fighters in the upper hemisphere.
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Saint-Denis’ aggressiveness also leaves him vulnerable to counters, so I’m curious to see how much respect he has for Hooker’s knees and front choke. That said, I believe Saint-Denis has a pretty clear path to victory to pursue.
Saint-Denis is a strong pressure fighter with strong grappling skills, and he has the tools to replicate other fighters’ success against Hooker. However, if Saint-Denis fails to inflict serious damage on Hooker early on, or finish within eight minutes, then I could see the proverbial wheel swinging significantly in the Kiwi’s direction.
Still, since Saint Denis takes much less damage in a technically wider rest window, I find it difficult to play against the God of War in this position.
From a betting perspective, it’s dog or pass, but I’ll officially select Saint-Denis to secure a submission in the second round.
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Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint-Denis UFC odds 325
Oddsmakers and the public alike favor the French fighter, listing Saint-Denis at -320 and Hooker at +225 via FanDuel.
Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis UFC 325 start time, how to watch
As the co-main event, Hooker and St. Denis are expected to walk to the cage around 9:40 PM ET. The fight is streaming live on Paramount+.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 325: Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint Denis predictions, start time
