Benoit Saint-Denis says toe 'split

PARIS – Benoit Saint-Denis suffered a gruesome toe injury at UFC Fight Night 209.

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where his big toe was left surrounded by a puddle of blood.

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Saint-Denis later explained that it was a pre-existing injury

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which happened before his first octagon win against Niklas Stolze in June.

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“I could not lift my toe any more, but I wanted to fight,” Saint-Denis told reporters, including MMA Junkie.

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“I had a hard preparation, so it was one month before the fight with the German guy (Stolze) in Vegas.

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We did no surgery. It was OK.

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I just had a lot of times where my toe was going into the ground. It injured me a little bit, so I had to train with shoes.

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It’s a part of life for any athlete, so now I will take time to heal it up.”

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