Paddy Pimblett put his first UFC defeat firmly behind him, bouncing back in style at UFC 329 with a breathtaking win over Benoît Saint Denis.
Pimblett got the job done with a brutal submission inside the first minute of their lightweight fight at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday evening.
The Liverpudlian wasted no time in Sin City. He shot in early and secured a takedown, and Saint Denis – who had arrived unbeaten in four and on a run of four straight finishes – never got the chance to establish himself.
Once the fight hit the floor, Pimblett’s grappling pedigree took over as he worked into a dominant position and locked up the choke, leaving Saint Denis without an answer.
There was no escape for the Frenchman, who had built his reputation on finishing power of his own but found himself on the wrong end of one on this occasion.
The win halts Saint Denis’s four-fight finishing streak and puts Pimblett firmly back in the lightweight title conversation, just months after his defeat to Justin Gaethje.
Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett made easy work of Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329 with a business-like first-round submission that sent the Las Vegas crowd into hysterics.
Pimblett reacts as Saint-Denis lies motionless on the mat at UFC 329 at T-Mobile Arena
Pimblett couldn’t contain his excitement after his first-round submission against Saint Denis
Pimblett arrived in Las Vegas under more scrutiny than at any previous point in his career. January’s loss to Gaethje – his first defeat inside the Octagon – ended his unbeaten UFC run and cost him a shot at interim gold, prompting questions from critics who had doubted whether his level of opposition matched his level of hype.
A defeat here would have made it back-to-back losses for the first time in his professional career.
Instead, Pimblett now has a chance to rise dramatically in the UFC lightweight rankings after entering the fight ranked No 9.
‘Who wants it next?’ Pimblett asked during his victory speech, delivered ahead of Conor McGregor’s highly anticipated return in the night’s main event.
‘I’ll beat [Ilia Topuria] up, I’ll rematch Justin [Gaethje], I’ll fight Conor or Max [Holloway] next. I don’t give a f***. Give me anyone and I’ll punch their head in.’
Pimblett, a known Liverpool fan, also took a moment during his victory speech to remember club midfielder Diogo Jota and his brother André Silva, who died in a car crash in Spain one year ago.
‘He died like a year ago last week,’ Pimblett said. ‘All the Liverpool fans in the house, sing it with me!’
Pimblett then led a pro-Jota chant for the crowd.
Elsewhere on the night, Conor McGregor’s long-awaited comeback lasted barely a minute, as the Irishman was forced to end his welterweight clash with Max Holloway after appearing to blow out his knee on his very first kick.
He launched out the gates with a kick which missed and clearly appeared to injury the Irishman, who was left on the ground wincing in pain.
Though he did manage to get back on his feet eventually, he offered nothing in terms of a threat to Holloway, who watched on as McGregor battled through the injury.
Eventually, referee Mike Beltran waved off the bout – after seeing the intense pain McGregor was in – marking a dismal end to McGregor’s comeback fight.
