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This content was machine-translated from the French version.
A lightning-fast submission, and a confession that leaves you reeling. Three days after knocking out Benoît Saint-Denis in 52 seconds at UFC 329, Paddy Pimblett made a striking admission to the BBC: a defeat that night would have forced him out of the sport.
“If I don’t beat BSD, what’s the point of carrying on?”
Four or five weeks ago, I turned to Paul and said: if I don’t win this fight, what’s the point in carrying on?
The 31-year-old from Liverpool didn’t hold back. “This training camp hasn’t been easy. Four or five weeks ago, I turned to Paul and said: if I don’t win this fight, what’s the point in carrying on? I might as well retire,” said Pimblett, recalling a conversation with his long-time coach, Paul Rimmer.
The fighter’s logic is relentless: “If I can’t beat BSD, I’ll never be world champion, and that’s why I do this sport. I do it to be the best in the world. ” A statement that speaks volumes about the mindset of an athlete who has come back from the brink following his defeat to Justin Gaethje last January in the fight for the interim title.
The Gaethje wake-up call
That third-round TKO defeat to the American left a mark far deeper than a mere blip on his record. “When Gaethje beat Ilia Topuria for the undisputed title last month, it was one of the biggest kicks up the backside I’ve ever had,” Pimblett confided. “It lit a fire in me, and the last two weeks of this camp have been incredible. ”
The result was plain to see inside the cage at the T-Mobile Arena. Facing Benoît Saint-Denis, who was coming off the back of four consecutive wins and whom many saw as the perfect trap, Pimblett locked in a guillotine choke within the first minute. The Frenchman, despite being a ground specialist, never found a way out. Tap out. 52 seconds.
A rematch against Gaethje in his sights
With this victory, Pimblett climbs four places in the UFC lightweight rankings to sit in fifth position. Saint-Denis, meanwhile, drops to eighth place. The path to the title now runs through a particularly crowded field at the top: Arman Tsarukyan (five consecutive wins), Charles Oliveira (two wins and a victory over Gaethje in 2022), and Max Holloway, fresh from a prestigious victory over Conor McGregor in the main event of the same evening.
Champion Gaethje, for his part, has not ruled out a second clash. It’s an enticing prospect: a revenge-hungry and inspired Pimblett taking on the only man to have stopped him in the Octagon. But in a division where four legitimate contenders can lay claim to a title shot, the Briton will likely have to wait a little longer.
A new face for the UFC
In the aftermath of UFC 329, several observers saw Pimblett’s performance as signalling a new era in the lightweight division. Conor McGregor’s attempted comeback, which ended in a first-round defeat to Holloway in the main event, has left a void amongst the division’s popular figures. With his personality and storytelling, the Brit ticks several boxes the organisation was looking for.
That said, the road to the title now involves a packed schedule. The next major event, UFC 330, will likely serve as a springboard for the official contenders. Pimblett, for his part, is savouring the moment: his career almost came to an end in defeat one July evening in Las Vegas. Forty seconds of Brazilian jiu-jitsu changed everything. It’s the sort of detail that makes this sport unique.
