St. Denis clears staph infection scare ahead of Pimblett clash at UFC 329

Benoit St. Denis has moved to quash staph infection rumours ahead of his lightweight co-main event against Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329, confirming he is medically cleared to compete at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 11.

The speculation began when observant fans spotted a small scar on the Frenchman’s right foot in recent training footage. Given that staph infections are contagious and frequently force fight cancellations, the sighting quickly spread across social media and raised genuine concerns about the bout’s status.

St. Denis, however, was unequivocal in his response. Speaking to RMC Sport Combat, the fighter known as “God of War” said: “No, not at all, I don’t have staph. Everything happens very quickly on social media; it’s crazy. I did have a scab on my foot, yes, but it’s not staph. That’s all it was. These are things that can happen. But the camp was managed very well. The fatigue was managed very well too.”

This is not the first time St. Denis has had to bat away similar rumours. Identical speculation surfaced in 2024 during his build-up to a bout against Dustin Poirier. The sensitivity around the subject is understandable given the severity staph infections can reach — most notably in the case of Robert Whittaker in 2018, when the infection spread to his stomach and required emergency surgery.

St. Denis arrives at UFC 329 in strong form, carrying a four-fight winning streak with all four victories coming by way of finish. His record stands at 17-3.

Pimblett, meanwhile, enters on the back of a setback. The Liverpudlian, now 23-4, suffered a defeat to Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight, ending a seven-fight winning streak inside the UFC. The bout with St. Denis represents a significant opportunity for Pimblett to reassert himself in the division’s upper tier.