Yoel Alvarez and Benoit Saint Denis have started a joint training camp in Bayonne, France, under coach Nicolas Otta. The two fighters were previously scheduled to face each other a year ago, but the bout fell through. Now they are working together, with Alvarez preparing to face Yaroslav Amosov at UFC 328 on May 9. Saint Denis does not yet have a fight announced, but Alvarez suggests the Frenchman may be preparing for an opponent with a similar style to his own. The Spanish fighter confirmed that Saint Denis reached out to arrange the training partnership in Bayonne.
Yoel Alvarez has begun a joint training camp with Benoit Saint Denis in Bayonne, France, as he prepares to face Yaroslav Amosov at UFC 328 on May 9. The two fighters, who were previously booked to fight each other before that bout fell apart, are now working under coach Nicolas Otta ahead of the welterweight contest.
Saint Denis, a 30-year-old French lightweight ranked ninth in his division, carries a 17-3-0 record into the camp. The southpaw stands five-foot-eleven with a 73-inch reach and brings a high-volume, multi-dimensional game to the partnership. He lands 5.62 significant strikes per minute at an impressive 58 percent accuracy, while also threatening with 4.19 takedowns and 1.8 submission attempts per 15 minutes. According to Alvarez, Saint Denis reached out to arrange the collaboration in his home country, and Alvarez hinted that the Frenchman may be using the camp to sharpen against a style similar to his upcoming opponent's.
That opponent, Yaroslav Amosov, is a 32-year-old orthodox grappler who holds a 30-1-0 record and stands six feet tall with a 75-inch reach. Amosov blends solid striking — landing 2.78 significant strikes per minute at 47 percent accuracy — with a suffocating ground attack, averaging 4.64 takedowns and 4.6 submission attempts per 15 minutes, making him one of the more complete grapplers in the welterweight picture.
Why it matters
- Alvarez is preparing to face one of the most submission-heavy fighters on the roster, making Saint Denis's high-level grappling and wrestling an ideal training tool.
- Saint Denis's absence from the rankings conversation may end soon if he is quietly preparing for a specific opponent, as Alvarez's comments suggest.
- The prior history between Alvarez and Saint Denis as scheduled opponents adds an extra layer of familiarity to a camp that figures to push both fighters ahead of their respective returns.
Saturday, May 9, 2026
