One of the greatest competitors in the octagon is giving some props (and some critique) to one of the Toronto Maple Leafs blueliners.

During the Maple Leafs’ 4-3 shootout win over the Utah Hockey Club on Monday night, Leafs defenseman Simon Benoit engaged in fisticuffs with Utah defender Michael Kesserling…not six seconds after Benoit was credited with his first goal of the season.

When the two squared up, Benoit decided to immediately erase the distance between him and Kesserling with a superman punch. Benoit was able to make contact, but not enough to knock down his counterpart.

The fight went viral across social media, and three-time UFC champion Georges St-Pierre chimed in and offered some advice to Benoit.

“Superman Punch in the NHL last night,” St-Pierre wrote. “He missed the target because he telegraphed too much, but the picture is awesome.”

It’s strange to see GSP offering knockout advice, given that only eight of his 26 mixed martial arts victories came via knockout.

It wasn’t the first time Benoit tried to leap and punch his opponent in the face. In December 2023, in a game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Benoit tried the maneuver against Erik Gudbranson with minimal success once again.

“I think just in the moment I felt I had an opening there, and I just took it,” Benoit said about his tilt with Kesserling. “Gudbranson. He’s a bit taller, though, and it was harder,

Kesserling didn’t have much of a problem with Benoit’s plan of attack either. When speaking to the media after the game, he admitted it was all part of the battle.

“That was a little interesting,” Kesserling said. “But whatever, it’s a fight right? You sign up for it. You know something’s coming, so it’s all good.”

According to HockeyFights.com, that was the 16th fighting major of Benoit’s NHL career. He also dropped the mitts last month with Oliver Bjorkstrand when he was a member of the Seattle Kraken.

Through 60 games, Benoit has 46 penalty minutes, a little behind his career-high 60 PIMs in 78 games during the 2022-23 season with the Anaheim Ducks.