With UFC 329 taking place this weekend, it almost impossible not to get caught up in the hype of Conor McGregor’s return to the Octagon against Max Holloway but Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett will certainly want to write his name in the headlines when he faces French man Benoit Saint-Denis I the co-main event of the evening, with both fighters having their sights set on the UFC Lightweight belt.
With this fight taking place on one of the biggest cards of the year, it is a huge opportunity for both fighters to make a big splash in the Lightweight division and propel their names back into title talks. For Paddy, he cannot afford to lose two in a row following his decision loss to Justin Gaethje back in January for the Interim Lightweight Title.
Whilst Paddy showed incredible heart and grit in the fight, he was ultimately outclassed by Gaethjie and perhaps fueled questions of whether he deserved to get the title shot in the first place. Despite the loss, Paddy’s stock has remained high, and he has now earned a fight on as a co-main event to McGregor, a huge opportunity for any fighter.
This is a tricky matchup for the scouse,r though, and Benoit Saint-Denis is not a comfortable matchup for anyone in the division. The Frenchman is on a four-fight winning streak with impressive and dominant wins over Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush, and Dan Hooker, which are certainly great victories to add to his CV.
Since his losses to Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano, BSD has been a man on a mission, with him keen to show he belongs at the top of the division. He combines high pace and pressure with elite wrestling to dominate opponents, and whilst his striking is perhaps not the best, he has shown power in his hands. His best weapon is arguably his body kick from the southpaw position, something that may be useful against Paddy.
For Paddy, it will be important to keep distance early and use his diverse striking game to keep BSD at bay. Paddy’s kicks are arguably his most important striking weapons, and he will need to use them against BSD. Paddy is known for his elite BJJ, but that will be perhaps more useful in the later parts of the fight when BSD typically slows down. It may be hard to use his grappling early on against the Frenchman.
Paddy is coming into this bout extremely confident. Speaking to TNT Sports, he said, “He’s (BSD) never won past the second round, but he’s not going to get past the second round with me… I’ve got cleaner striking than him. I’m a better grapple,r and I’ve got better cardio.” The Scouser is confident that he has the better of BSD in all facets of MMA.
If Paddy does manage to win, the options for him become very interesting, ng but it does seem that a fight against Ilia Topuria would be the fight to make. Both have a history, and the build-up to the fight would be worthy of a numbered card main event, even without a title on the line. Still, he cannot look past BSD, as this may be his toughest test yet.
