​Paddy Pimblett stunned his team and himself with the abrupt finish he delivered to Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329, a victory many are already calling one of the most impressive of his career. The Baddy latched onto a D’Arce choke just 52 seconds into the opening round, leaving Saint Denis, a top-10 lightweight, unconscious and facing a sudden end to a promising performance. Saint Denis entered the fight known for his aggressive, in-your-face wrestling approach, but Pimblett’s dangerous submission game proved to be the decisive factor, turning the bout in a flash and continuing to elevate Pimblett’s profile in the sport.
After the fight, Pimblett spoke at the post-fight scrum about the finish he and his team had prepared for Saint Denis. He explained that his corner—head coach Paul, along with Ellis and Chris—were directly in front of him, guiding his approach. Paul Holland reportedly reminded him not to burn out his arms, yet Pimblett trusted his instincts, recognizing that his opponent was adept at defending guillotine attempts. The plan, Pimblett said, involved working around the guillotine and exploiting a setup that appeared almost like a perfected, picture-worthy finish. He added that the finish wasn’t a textbook Peruvian necktie, but rather a blend of a Peruvian necktie and a D’Arce choke—something he and his coach had drilled about five weeks prior to the fight. In Pimblett’s words, the finish demonstrated the fluidity of his grappling and his ability to link techniques together seamlessly, even when the exact submission was not executed in training for years.
Saint Denis had gone into the fight undefeated by submission, making Pimblett’s victory the first time Pimblett had attempted such a finish in competition. It was a moment many viewed as a turning point, highlighting Pimblett’s grappling acumen and his willingness to pivot mid-fight to maximize his advantage. “I’ve never done that before. I haven’t, I’ve never done that before. I just did that on the fly, that’s how I roll. My jiu-jitsu’s the best in the world,” Pimblett declared, underscoring his confidence in his own submission skills and his ability to improvise when necessary.
Pimblett’s standing among MMA’s best grapplers continues to be a topic of debate, but his star power is undeniably growing. The arena in Las Vegas was electric through fight week, and Pimblett’s arrival in the octagon on fight night drew a teeming crowd to its feet, reflecting the surge in excitement surrounding him. UFC president Dana White weighed in on Pimblett’s rising popularity after the event, noting how the fighter’s social media presence exploded in the wake of recent performances and losses. White pointed out that Pimblett’s elevated profile didn’t halt after a setback to Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title clash at UFC 324 earlier in the year. He observed, “[Pimblett] gained so much respect in that last fight… My social team was telling after that last loss he gained, like, two million followers on social media from that night to the next morning. The way he came in tonight, it felt like he was the world champion.”
White also analyzed the fight’s tactical dynamics. He suggested Saint Denis’s best path to victory would have been to keep the fight standing and exchange strikes, before attempting a takedown. Pimblett, he noted, disrupted that plan with rapid, relentless offense and finished with a devastating choke that demonstrated just how dangerous Pimblett can be in the grappling exchanges. The finish was quick, but its impact was lasting, building the hype around Pimblett’s evolving toolkit and setting the stage for even more high-profile matchups in the months to come. The drama and execution left fans buzzing, as Pimblett’s submission prowess and improvisational style continued to redefine expectations for his career trajectory.