UFC 329: Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett Preview & Prediction
The UFC 329 co-main event pits two of Europe’s most beloved lightweights against each other, as France’s relentless Benoit Saint Denis meets Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett in a guaranteed dogfight.
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett facts
What time are Benoit Saint-Denis and Paddy Pimblett expected to walk out?
Where is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? T-Mobile Arena, Paradise, USA
Where can I get tickets for UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? Click here for the latest ticket information for UFC 329
What TV channel is UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 on? UK – TNT Sports / USA – Paramount
Where can I stream UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2? UK – TNT Sports can stream the event online via the TNT Sports website and HBO Max / USA – Paramount+ & UFC Fight Pass
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 main card
Conor McGregor vs Max Holloway 2 (Welterweight)
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett (Lightweight)
Cory Sandhagen vs Mario Bautista (Bantamweight)
Brandon Royval vs Lone'er Kavanagh (Flyweight)
King Green vs Terrance McKinney (Lightweight)
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 prelims
Robert Whittaker vs Nikita Krylov (Light Heavyweight)
Gable Steveson vs Elisha Ellison (Heavyweight)
Cody Garbrandt vs Adrian Yanez (Bantamweight)
Luke Riley vs Kai Kamaka III (Featherweight)
Tracy Cortez vs Wang Cong (Women's Flyweight)
Damian Pinas vs Cesar Almeida (Middleweight)
Farid Basharat vs John Garza (Bantamweight)
Ryan Gandra vs Zachary Reese (Middleweight)
Alessandro Costa vs Cody Durden (Flyweight)
Benoit Saint-Denis: “God of War” riding a wave of violence
Benoit Saint Denis (17-3) is the epitome of a finisher – every single one of his 17 wins has come inside the distance, split between eleven submissions and six knockouts. The #5 ranked Frenchman and former special-forces soldier has torn through a four-fight finishing streak since two rough stoppage losses in 2024, submitting Mauricio Ruffy, flattening Beneil Dariush in 16 seconds, and mauling Dan Hooker. BSD is a suffocating pressure fighter with a judo black belt, chaining heavy volume striking into takedowns, ground and pound, and vicious chokes. The catch is his forward aggression is exactly what got him stopped by Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano.
Paddy Pimblett: “The Baddy” looks to rebound after falling just short of title contention
Paddy Pimblett (23-4) is one of the sport’s biggest draws. The #9 ranked Scouser is a submission artist, 11 of his 23 wins come by sub – with world-class scrambles, a granite chin, and a habit of surviving early adversity before taking over. His UFC run includes a controversial decision over Jared Gordon, a decision over a faded Tony Ferguson, a first-round submission of Bobby Green, and a breakout TKO of Michael Chandler. His only real setback was a competitive five-round loss to now champion Justin Gaethje – a defeat that’s aged beautifully now that we’ve seen Gaethje go on to stop Ilia Topuria.
Benoit Saint-Denis vs Paddy Pimblett prediction
The bookies have BSD as a modest favourite, but there’s a real case this is recency bias talking. His hot streak is built on the win against Ruffy, a 16-second KO on Dariush, and a beating over Hooker – good wins, but not the kind that should make a fighter of Paddy’s calibre an underdog. In fact the only top level win there in my opinion is the submission over Ruffy.
The crux here is durability and chaos, and both play into the favour for Paddy. BSD is a dawg, but he’s hittable when he marches forward, we saw Poirier and Moicano both stop him for exactly that. Paddy has never been finished, eats big shots and keeps coming, and has the kind of chin that turns firefight into his favour. His knees and uppercut up the middle should be there all night as BSD storms in and shoots for takedowns.
Where it gets interesting is on the ground. BSD is the best grappler Paddy’s faced, but he hunts for finishes rather than controlling from on top, and that aggression gives Paddy the opening he needs to scramble out or reverse. The one worry is the gameplanning of Paddy, but expect his team to learn from the Gaethje fight and not let this become a reckless brawl. In a fight with no breathing room, I like the Scouser to find the finish.
Prediction: Paddy Pimblett to win inside the distance
