Daniel Woirin

At a glance

• Former French national team Muay Thai fighter turned MMA coach, born in 1969 in Montreuil, outside Paris.
• Striking coach at Black House from 2008 to 2010, working with Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.
• Coached Benoît Saint-Denis until 2024, now coaches Matthieu Letho-Duclos, and co-hosts LFE on GONG.

Overview

Daniel Woirin was born in 1969 in Montreuil, just east of Paris. He started Muay Thai at 13, trained in Thailand at 20 and fought for the French national team until a broken shin ended his career. He then became a coach and led the French Muay Thai team in the early 2000s.

In 2002 he moved to Rio de Janeiro. He trained Ricardo Arona for Pride, then joined Black House, where he ran striking from 2008 to 2010 for Anderson Silva, Lyoto Machida and Vitor Belfort.

What you'll find

Woirin is one of the three regulars on LFE (La Fine Équipe) on the GONG (Gi Or No Gi) channel, alongside Fred Rousseau and Cyrille Diabaté. He breaks down the news, tells stories from his years in Brazil and the United States, and gives technical lessons, such as level changes and counters.

He also appears on Mandale, Winamax's MMA show, and in interviews with La Sueur. His Instagram follows Team Woirin and its fighters. On GONG, a series of videos covers his career and his split with Benoît Saint-Denis. All of his media work is in French.

Why follow

With Woirin in camp, Anderson Silva won three UFC title fights: against Dan Henderson in 2008, and against Patrick Côté and Thales Leite in 2009. He then worked at Team Quest in California with Dan Henderson and Tarec Saffiedine, and coached for Joanna Jędrzejczyk on The Ultimate Fighter 23.

Back in France in 2017, he took Benoît Saint-Denis to the UFC and into the lightweight top 15, before they split after the fight with Dustin Poirier in 2024. He now coaches Matthieu Letho-Duclos, who fought at UFC Paris in 2026.

MMA Official's take

Woirin is for French speakers who want to hear a coach with world title experience talk about striking, preparation and cornering in plain, blunt language. You will need solid French, since the conversations are fast and full of slang.

Start with the GONG video "Dans l'ombre des plus grands" for his career story, then move to his technique lessons and an LFE episode after a UFC card.