Why Did Joel Alvarez Pull Out of UFC 315 Against Benoit Saint-Denis? Injury Details Revealed

UFC 315 has not been a pay-per-view without some hurdles, as some fight plans had to be scrapped from the card. The first one was Jeong Yeong Lee vs. Gavin Tucker, but the latter pulled out, with the reason remaining undisclosed. The second hurdle for Dana White came with one of the main card fights involving Benoit Saint-Denis and Joel Alvarez getting scrapped after the latter’s pullout with just a few days to go for the PPV.

Spanish lightweight Joel Alvarez has been on an absolute tear ever since he joined the UFC, amassing a record of seven wins and two losses. He was excited about the prospect of fighting Benoit Saint-Denis when the initial announcement came out. So what forced him to give up on a guaranteed barnburner?

What happened to Joel Alvarez before UFC 315?

Joel Alvarez is currently on a 3-fight winning streak, aiming to replicate the same success his fellow Spanish star, Ilia Topuria, achieved. But just a couple of days ago, after entering fight week, a dejected ‘El Fenomeno’ shared an Instagram post, informing the fans that he succumbed to an injury. According to Alvarez, he bruised his hand and doctors suggest that he give it a rest for at least three weeks, which the 32-year-old claims he cannot defy.

“Hello everyone. I’m out of my fight at UFC 315 due to a hand injury that will keep me from hitting for three weeks. There are many factors beyond our control,” Joel Alvarez wrote on Instagram (via Google Translate). The Gijon native further mentioned that his camp went well, but it’s just the injury that has left him unable to compete. To keep his fans’ hopes up, Alvarez has promised to come back to fight in 2025.

“The training camp has been perfect so far. We’ll be back this year, revamped and with a different approach. Thank you all so much for your support; you’re the best,” Alvarez added. Meanwhile, Jeong Yeong Lee, who also lost his initial opponent, found a replacement in the form of Daniel Santos. And guess what? Benoit Saint-Denis has one too, but it wasn’t without some controversy.

Joel Alvarez replacement: Controversies finding Benoit Saint-Denis’ opponents

Benoit Saint-Denis is currently on a 2-fight losing skid against top contenders Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano. So, fans were expecting to see him fight a high-level contender after Joel Alvarez pulled out. But the UFC paired him up with 18-8 fighter Kyle Prepolec, a Canadian fighter whose initial UFC run saw him amass a 0-2 record. Moreover, Saint-Denis is a ranked fighter, so the hopes fans had were to see him fight another ranked contender.

Even though Kyle Prepolec is on a 3-fight knockout streak in the regional promotion, fans aren’t excited to see him fight Benoit Saint-Denis. Fans feel like there are many better options available for Dana White to consider changing the Frenchman’s replacement opponent. Even Mauricio Ruffy called out ‘God of War’, tweeting, “Hey, UFC! How about a Fight Night main event against Saint-Denis?” 

Well, Ruffy’s request was denied with just a few days to go to UFC 315, and the promotion wanted to keep the Frenchman on a seemingly lackluster PPV card. So the updated card on the UFC website now shows Kyle Prepolec as the finalised replacement opponent. It remains to be seen how things pan out, whether Benoit Saint-Denis returns to the winning column or if he gets handed an upset loss by the returning Canadian UFC fighter. Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below.

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