The UFC 329 co-main event saw a battle of England versus France play out, as recent interim title challenger Paddy Pimblett took on Benoit Saint-Denis.
Liverpool, England native Pimblett’s loss to Justin Gaethje certainly hadn’t hurt him much coming into the fight, given Gaethje’s dismantling of Ilia Topuria to claim undisputed gold last month.
As for BSD, he had won four straight, with the former French paratrooper earning stoppages in all four fights.
Saint-Denis came out hot to start the fight, backing Pimblett up with a head kick, but quickly found himself trapped in a guillotine off a takedown attempt. That became a d’arce, and Pimblett rolled with the choke, trapping Benoit and soon putting him to sleep! The entire affair was over in barely more than a minute, and was an absolutely slick display of submission prowess by Paddy “the Baddy,” who planted his legs under BSD’s arms to put even more pressure on.
With the win, Pimblett gets right back in the mix at lightweight. He’s no doubt hunting a rematch with Gaethje, who was in the house at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday. Although that was more with Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway in mind. Pimblett, however, made another statement, and asked “who wants it next?” following the win, speaking to Joe Rogan. Conor McGregor, Max Holloway, and Ilia Topuria were also names he called out, saying he’d fight anyone.
Official Result: Paddy Pimblett def. Benoit Saint-Denis by submission (d’arce choke), Round 1, 0:52
