Close-up photo of Benoit Saint Denis' face getting busted open by Renato Moicano sends shock waves through social media: "The sport is brutal"

The much-awaited fight between Renato Moicano and Benoit Saint Denis witnessed Moicano inflict considerable facial damage on his French foe. A close-up photograph of Saint Denis getting cut open by the Brazilian combatant has seemingly set the MMA community abuzz.

The two lightweights clashed in the headlining match of the UFC Paris card at the Accor Arena in Paris, France, on Sept. 28, 2024. Moicano dominated in round one, thoroughly out-grappling Saint Denis and delivering significant punishment via ground strikes, notably causing swelling around his eyes.

'God of War' seemed to defend against the grappling onslaught better in round two. However, during the break between rounds two and three, the octagon-side physician examined Saint Denis' eyes. On the doctor's advice, Referee Marc Goddard waved the fight off to prevent further damage to the Frenchman's right eye.

Moicano was thereby declared the winner via second-round TKO. A rather graphic photo of Saint Denis being busted open during the fight has piqued fan interest.

Several fight fans indicated that the cuts around Benoit Saint Denis' right eye were gruesome. Full Send MMA tweeted the photo, which was sourced from the "@AgFight" and "@LouiseGrasse" X handles. A fan reacted to the image by writing:

"Those cuts were deep, the doctor did a great job"

A netizen expressed their respect for the toughness often displayed by fighters and posted:

"Tough dudes."

One observer seemed to allude to some fans criticizing it as an early stoppage and asserted:

"People act like it was a bad stoppage and this wasn't going to get worse over 5 rounds"

Multiple fans appeared to underscore the brutality and pain Benoit Saint Denis probably endured. A commenter drew parallels between it and the iconic 'Mortal Kombat,' a fighting video game and media franchise known for its brutality.

An X user insinuated that Saint Denis could've continued since he could see out of his other eye:

"He still had one good eye"

Moreover, a fan criticized Saint Denis and wrote:

"Proof he was never that good after all. Yes the sport is brutal but he is gonna keep getting fraud checked going forward."

Check out the screenshots of a few reactions below:

Screenshots of reactions

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Benoit Saint Denis' immediate reaction to UFC Paris performance against Renato Moicano

Certain sections of the MMA community have highlighted that Benoit Saint Denis was coming on strong in round two, likely won the round, and could've turned the tables if it weren't for the doctor's stoppage.

During his post-fight octagon interview with Michael Bisping, Saint Denis implied that he started slow which allowed Renato Moicano to inflict enough damage to take over the fight completely. The 28-year-old apologized for his mistake and vowed to return stronger. He stated:

"I'll come back stronger. Sorry for that performance. But I was proud to represent the flag."

Check out Benoit Saint Denis' comments below: