Paddy Pimblett Putting Benoit Saint-Denis to Sleep in 52 Seconds Excites UFC 329 Crowd

Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett shocks the T-Mobile Arena after choking out Benoit Saint-Denis in the opening round at UFC 329.

Paddy Pimblett Putting Benoit Saint-Denis to Sleep in 52 Seconds Excites UFC 329 Crowd

Paddy Pimblett submits Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329 (Image via UFC News)

Paddy Pimblett and Benoit Saint-Denis have enjoyed much success in the UFC lightweight division since first walking into the Octagon. Their bout at UFC 329 was all about who gets to advance to title fight discussions.

The French military veteran entered UFC 329 with a four-fight winning streak, with all coming by finish against the likes of Mauricio Ruffy and Beneil Dariush. Meanwhile, Pimblett lost a five-round decision to Justin Gaethje earlier this year at UFC 324 for interim gold, which snapped his 7-fight winning run. As such, a win at UFC 329 was super necessary for both fighters.

The fight started with a blitz from the French fighter and Pimblett fired back instantly. As the Brit stepped backwards, BSD shot for a takedown that was instantly met with a submission attempt. Once Pimblett adjusted the choke to a D’Arce choke from a guillotine, Saint Denis could not fight out of it.

At just 52 seconds of the first round, Pimblett put BSD to sleep after a brief attempt from the Frenchman to escape. The result was so shocking because no one had put the former military veteran to sleep that quickly.

The win puts Paddy Pimblett back in the win column and a high-profile fight awaits him next. Meanwhile, BSD will need to put on another winning streak to achieve a title shot.

After taking much damage against Gaethje at UFC 324, many doubted ‘The Baddy’. Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, and others have downplayed the ability of the British superstar. However, the Liverpudlian keeps proving everyone wrong. It also turns out that the Brit warned BSD ahead of their UFC 329 bout about initiating grappling exchanges.

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Paddy Pimblett warned Benoit Saint-Denis about his grappling ahead of UFC 329

Benoit Saint-Denis lost three times in the UFC before today. He was outstruck in one of those losses, and Dustin Poirier knocked him out at UFC 299 in his second UFC defeat. However, his third loss saw him get controlled and brutally beaten on the ground by Renato Moicano back in 2024.

Benoit Saint-Denis clears out injury rumors ahead of Paddy Pimblett fight
Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett fight (via MMA Fighting, MMA Mania)

As good as BSD has looked in recent times, only Moicano has truly tested his grappling skills. Fighters like Mauricio Ruffy and Dan Hooker are not known for their skills on the ground. As such, the French fighter overwhelmed them with wrestling and ultimately secured a finish in both fights.

On the other hand, Paddy Pimblett has shown a well-rounded skill set inside the Octagon. The British fighter has 10 submission wins in his career and warned BSD about using his grappling skills ahead of their UFC 329 bout.

I think he’s gonna try and grapple because he does it with every fight he’s ever had If he does that with me, I can see him getting choked pretty quick.

Paddy Pimblett via UFC on Paramount

Just like the UFC 329 submission, Pimblett submitted King Green at UFC 304 after the American shot for a takedown. Despite not having a credentialed wrestling background, the submission threats from Pimblett is what makes him dangerous. More fighters would note this moving forward as ‘The Baddy’ keeps proving the doubters wrong.

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