Benoit Saint Denis is still set to compete at UFC 315 on Saturday despite his original opponent, Joel Alvarez, being sidelined due to a hand injury.
UFC officials have announced that Saint Denis will now face returning lightweight Kyle Prepolec, who is looking to make a comeback after a previous stint with the promotion in 2019. The news about the fight was first reported by Aaron Bronsteter on Twitter.
With a record of 18-8, Prepolec returns to the UFC with a 4-1 record since his last appearance. He is currently on a three-fight win streak, all ending in knockout victories.
Prepolec will look to maintain his winning streak against Saint Denis, a top prospect in the lightweight division who is aiming to bounce back from two consecutive losses.
Prior to his recent losses, Saint Denis had a five-fight win streak, finishing all his opponents by knockout or submission. Despite his loss to Dustin Poirier, he earned Fight of the Night honors for their battle.
Saint Denis then faced a defeat against Renato Moicano in France last September. Now, he is set to make his first appearance in 2025 against Prepolec this Saturday.
UFC 315 will feature welterweight champion Belal Muhammad defending his title against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event, with flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko facing Manon Fiorot in the co-main event.
The final fight order for UFC 315 is yet to be announced, but Saint Denis was originally scheduled to kick off the pay-per-view main card. It remains to be seen if he will retain that position now that Prepolec has stepped in as a replacement.