The main event at UFC Paris was stopped early following brutal injuries to Benoit Saint Denis.

The Frenchman suffered several blows to the head in his clash with Renato Moicano, which led to a doctor’s stoppage ending the fight.

The fight was called off after the second round due to Saint Denis’ injuriesGetty

It was Saint Denis’ first fight in Dana White’s promotion since losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 299 in March on the Sean O’Malley vs Marlon Vera undercard.

Saint Denis served in the French special air service fighting terrorist groups before moving to Paris to pursue a career in MMA.

He lost his first fight in the UFC but then went on a five–fight win streak before the biggest contest of his career against Poirier, the last man who Conor McGregor stepped into the octagon with.

Poirier entered the octagon as the underdog, largely due to the hype around Saint Denis at the time. But, ultimately, his experience in the cage outshone Saint Denis, who was knocked out in the second round.

At the Accor Arena, Moicano dominated the opening round of the bout, landing 36 significant strikes, but Saint Denis displayed his warrior-like qualities by coming back and winning the second.

It was then at the conclusion of round two after both fighters had traded rounds that referee Marc Goddard waved off the fight.

Saint Denis was unable to prove to the doctor that he could see out of his right eye, making it too dangerous for him to continue.

“A big thank you to everyone for your support, it was absolutely unbelievable to be here,” the Frenchman said in his post-fight octagon interview with Michael Bisping.

“Unfortunately, in that first round, I came out and I was a little bit sleepy and allowed him to do enough damage to then play the Matador in the later rounds.

“So, I’m sorry for that, I’ll come back stronger. Sorry for that performance but I was proud to represent the flag.”

Moicano delivered numerous elbows that opened up Saint DenisGetty

And the result was very unpleasantGetty

Saint Denis’ injuries were so bad that some fans even claimed he should now consider retiring.

One user said: “He needs to retire. Too much damage taken.”

Another added: “He shouldn’t continue. The damage is massive for a first round right. He should throw in the white towel and live to fight another day.”

While a third responded: “Saint Denis just got beat the hell up. I’m afraid the hype is over.”

Although it was a difficult night for the Frenchman, it was a very good one for Moicano.

The Brazilian has now won four consecutive fights in the UFC, and after the fight, he called out Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett.

Pimblett responded today, tagging Moicano in an Instagram post, with the caption: “Let’s do this”.