Benoît Saint Denis vs. Paddy PimblettW
UFC 329 · July 11, 2026 · T-Mobile Arena · Main Card 9:00 PM ET
The brief
- The result
- Paddy Pimblett by Technical Submission (D'Arce choke), R1
- What kind of fight
- Grappling firefight
- Finish likelihood
- Very High
- The line
- No line posted yet
- The stakes
- Lightweight · Main Card
The result
Paddy Pimblett def. Benoît Saint Denis — Technical Submission (D'Arce choke), R1 0:52
The prediction called for a takedown inside the first minute and a submission — it just backed the wrong man.
Saint Denis shot immediately, and Pimblett met the takedown with a guillotine attempt, converted it into a D'Arce choke (an arm-and-neck squeeze from the front headlock), rolled through, and put Saint Denis to sleep in 52 seconds.
The expected grappling firefight lasted exactly one exchange, and it earned Pimblett a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
The breakdown below was written before the fight.
The read
Neither of these men coasts — Saint Denis has literally never won a decision, and 17 of Pimblett's 23 wins are finishes.
Expect immediate pressure, a takedown inside the first minute, and elite-level scrambles where one mistake ends it. Saint Denis's pace and physicality make him the favorite, but Pimblett's submissions off his back are live at every second.
Somebody is getting choked or stopped.
The matchup
Two submission-first fighters who hate taking backward steps — but they grapple in opposite directions.
Saint Denis is the initiator: over 4 takedown attempts per 15 minutes, judo trips, and a face-crank-anything approach. Pimblett is the opportunist: his best work comes in scrambles and off his back, and his 44% takedown defense means this fight WILL hit the floor.
The striking is where it gets scary for Paddy — BSD lands at 59% accuracy with genuine one-punch power (ask Dariush), while Pimblett's defense (43%) has always been the hole in his game.
Tale of the tape
| 17-3 (1 NC) | Record | 23-4 |
| 30 | Age | 31 |
| 5'11" | Height | 5'10" |
| 73" | Reach | 73" |
| Southpaw | Stance | Orthodox |
| France | Country | England |
| Venum Training Camp Paris | Team | Next Generation MMA Liverpool |
The numbers
Career UFC averages. Red bar = statistical edge.
The fighters
Benoît Saint Denis 17-3 (1 NC)
“God of War”
Former French special forces soldier (deployed to Mali) with a judo black belt. All 17 career wins are finishes — 11 by submission — and he marches forward like defense is someone else's problem. Riding a four-fight finish streak into the top five, including a 16-second KO of Beneil Dariush.
- WDan Hooker · TKO, R2 4:45UFC 325 · January 31, 2026
- WBeneil Dariush · KO, R1 0:16UFC 322 · November 15, 2025
- WMaurício Ruffy · Submission (face crank), R2 2:56UFC Fight Night Paris · September 6, 2025
Paddy Pimblett 23-4
“The Baddy”
Liverpool's loudest export — a second-degree BJJ black belt and former Cage Warriors champion with 10 submission wins. Looked like a new fighter stopping Michael Chandler, then lost his first UFC fight to Justin Gaethje for the interim title in January. This is his bounce-back fight, against the most dangerous stylistic matchup in the division.
- LJustin Gaethje · Decision (unanimous)UFC 324 · January 24, 2026
- WMichael Chandler · TKO, R3 3:07UFC 314 · April 12, 2025
- WKing Green · Technical submission (triangle), R1 3:22UFC 304 · July 27, 2024