- Joined
- May 8, 2002
- Posts
- 1,211,327
- Reaction score
- 59
You must be registered for see images attach
UFC 329 may have ended in disaster for the aging Conor McGregor, but at least the event saw Paddy Pimblett’s star continue to rise.
Pimblett needed a big win after losing to Justin Gaethje at the start of 2026, and that’s exactly what he earned by sleeping Benoit Saint Denis just 52 seconds into their co-main event fight in Las Vegas (watch highlights here). The Frenchman found himself caught in a choke off his first ill-advised takedown attempt and Pimblett’s grip on Saint Denis’ neck only got tighter as they went to the canvas and jockeyed for position.
“I knew I had that cinched up,” Pimblett said of the submission. “I knew he was good at defending a guillotine, so we’d worked on other things around the guillotine, and that was just there. Picture perfect … And it wasn’t a proper Peruvian necktie, but I literally drilled a Peruvian necktie for the first time in about ten years about five weeks ago … And it was like a mixture between a D’arce and a Peruvian necktie.”
“But that’s just how good my jiu jitsu is, I can link things together like that flawlessly,” he concluded. “I’ve never done that before. I just done that on the fly. That’s how I roll. My jiu jitsu is the best in the world.”
As for what’s next, Paddy “The Baddy” sounded down for any of the top names at lightweight.
“I wanna be a world champion,” he said. “I wanna be the undisputed champion of the world. I wanna be the first ever world champion from Liverpool. And I’m gonna do that. I know that’s in my destiny. I know it’s in my fate. Whether it’s the next fight or the next 10 fights, I wanna be a world champion. It’s that simple.”
“If you want me to fight Justin [Gaethje] next, if you want me to fight Poshboy [Arman Tsarukyan] next, if you want me to fight Chorizo [Ilia Topuria] next, if you want me to fight Charles [Oliveira] next, anyone can get it.”
Flying high off his latest submission win, Pimblett declared he’d tap Oliveira if their fight went to the ground.
“I’d submit Charles,” Pimblett said. “I’ve got nothing but respect for Charles, know what I mean? He’s an absolute legend in this sport, but he’s on his way out. And I think if he tries to grapple with me, I’d submit him. But we’d probably end up having a war for five rounds on the feet if I ever fight with Charles Oliveira.”
That would be a huge fight, as would any of the other options Pimblett suggested. With McGregor now firmly in the damaged goods category, “The Baddy” is undeniably one of the biggest stars in the promotion. He’s not the money-making monster that McGregor is (and no one may ever reach that level again), but a bout with Ilia Topuria would undoubtedly be one of the biggest fights the UFC could book.
Continue reading...
