Paddy Pimblett shows off his impressive repertoire in training ahead of UFC 324. Photo: Reproduction/X
Paddy Pimblett put on a show and knocked Benoit Saint-Denis out in less than a minute during the co-main event of UFC 329 on Saturday night (11), in a fight valid for the lightweight category (up to 70,3 kg). With the result, the Evil One recovered from the defeat suffered against Justin Gaethje earlier this year and ended the Frenchman's winning streak, who had not lost since the defeat against Renato Moicano in September 2024.
Paddy Pimblett had no trouble settling the bill.
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IT IS ELECTRIC AT #UFC329 ! @PaddyTheBaddy celebrates after a DOMINANT SHOWING in the co-main event! pic.twitter.com/PxCwGXcFub
— UFC (@ufc) July 12, 2026
Very aggressive, Paddy went on the offensive from the start of the fight. Saint-Denis began the fight attacking with a high kick, which was blocked by the Englishman. The Frenchman immediately went for a takedown, only to be caught in a precise guillotine choke. A grappling specialist, Pimblett showed the high level of his black belt in Jiu-Jitsu and maintained his grip on the choke, adapting to all of his opponent's defensive attempts.
Determined to stay in the fight, Benoit didn't tap out, so he ended up without oxygen and lost consciousness, forcing referee Marc Goddard to stop the fight 42 seconds into the bout. In an interview with Joe Rogan inside the octagon, an excited Pimblett said he had visualized the moment before the fight and claimed to have achieved the Submission of the Year.
Mario Bautista ties the score with Cory Sandhagen.
Bautista celebrates his UFC victory. Photo: Reproduction/Facebook/UFC
In the third fight of the main card, Mario Bautista defeated Cory Sandhagen in a very exciting fight in the bantamweight division (up to 61,2 kg). The victory is the fighter's second in a row, following a great performance against Vinícius Lokdog , and he managed to avenge the defeat suffered in his first encounter with Sandhagen, held in January 2019.
More dynamic, Sandhagen landed the best strikes on his feet early in the fight, forcing Bautista to seek a grappling exchange. After defending well against his opponent's takedown attempts, the former title challenger regained the upper hand in the striking exchanges. However, the final part of the round brought the best moment for Mario, who secured a takedown, transitioned to his opponent's back, and injured his rival's left knee by attacking with a knee lock.
Aware of the injury inflicted on his compatriot, Bautista began using low kicks and putting pressure on his rival, who moved considerably less. Showing great heart, Sandhagen remained without showing any pain or instability in his knee. In the following round, Mario knocked his opponent down with a powerful left cross, nearly ending the fight, and an intense duel ensued, with both athletes having good moments.
At the end of the 15-minute fight, all judges scored it 29-28 in favor of Bautista, who said he was very happy and ready to fight for the title next.
Brandon Royval puts Lone'er Kavanagh to sleep in the best fight of the night.
Royval promotes UFC event. Photo: Reproduction/X/UFC
In the second fight of the main card, Brandon Royval and Lone'er Kavanagh delivered a hard-fought and exciting fight in the flyweight division (up to 56,7 kg). After struggling in the second round, the American recovered and finished his opponent with a rear-naked choke in the third round. With this result, he recovered from losses to Joshua Van and Manel Kape , while the Briton suffered another defeat after his victory against Brandon Moreno.
Taller and with a greater reach, Royval dominated the center of the octagon from the start of the fight and tried to use straight punches to create distance, but was countered several times by Kavanagh, who was very fast and explosive. In this first exchange, the American was successful in working a quick jab with his right hand, causing his opponent to bleed from the nose. He also managed a takedown in the last minute of the round, landing strong elbows from above.
Kavanagh changed the course of the fight early in the second round, landing a powerful right hand to his opponent's chin, taking Royval to the ground and bringing the fight close to being stopped. The American used submission attempts from the bottom to stay alive in the fight and get back to his feet. Despite taking some heavy punches, the former title challenger maintained the pressure and remained competitive throughout the round.
The pressure paid off in the final round. Royval stunned Kavanagh on his feet with a right cross, secured another takedown, and after punishing his opponent with elbows and nearly finishing the fight with a katagatame, he transitioned to his opponent's back and submitted the Briton with a rear-naked choke when the clock showed three minutes and 40 seconds of the third round.
All UFC 329 Results
MAIN CARD
Welterweight (up to 77,1 kg): Max Holloway defeated Conor McGregor by technical knockout (injury) at 1:09 of round 1.
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): Paddy Pimblett defeated Benoit Saint Denis by submission (choke) at 0:52 of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Mario Bautista defeated Cory Sandhagen by unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Brandon Royval defeated Lone'er Kavanagh by submission (rear-naked choke) at 3:50 of round 3.
Lightweight (up to 70,3 kg): King Green defeated Terrance McKinney by technical knockout (punches) at 4:59 of round 1.
PRELIMINARY CARD
Light heavyweight (up to 92,9 kg): Robert Whittaker defeated Nikita Krylov by technical knockout (jaw injury) at 1:01 of round 3.
Heavyweight (up to 120,2 kg): Gable Stevenson defeated Elisha Ellison by technical knockout (punches and knees) at 2:30 of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Adrian Yanez defeated Cody Garbrandt by technical knockout (punches) at 2:47 of round 1.
Featherweight (up to 65,7 kg): Luke Riley defeated Kai Kamaka III by technical knockout (punches) at 3:02 of round 1.
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Wang Cong defeated Tracy Cortez by unanimous decision (29-27, 29-27, 29-27)
Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Damian Pinas defeated Cesar Almeida by knockout (punches) at 4:44 of round 1.
Bantamweight (up to 61,2 kg): Farid Basharat defeated John Garza by unanimous decision (30-27, 30-27, 29-28)
Middleweight (up to 83,9 kg): Ryan Gandra defeated Zachary Reese by technical knockout (punches) at 1:15 of round 1.
Flyweight (up to 56,7 kg): Alessandro Costa defeated Cody Durden by submission (rear-naked choke) at 2:19 of round 2.
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