UFC president Dana White says Paddy Pimblett has proved doubters wrong ahead of 'incredible' Benoit Saint-Denis bout at UFC 329
Published 11/07/2026 at 12:05 GMT+1
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UFC president Dana White is expecting an "incredible" fight when Paddy Pimblett faces Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329, and says Britain’s Pimblett proved a lot of doubters wrong despite losing last time out against Justin Gaethje.
'Not a real fighter' - Pimblett slams Topuria but targets 'inevitable' clash with former champion
Video credit: TNT Sports
Pimblett faces Saint-Denis in a lightweight bout in Las Vegas, live on TNT Sports Box Office and HBO Max on Saturday, July 11.
Saint-Denis has not been beaten since being knocked out by Renato Moicano in September 2024, while Pimblett was on a seven-fight win streak before his loss to Gaethje.
Pimblett was knocked down twice in an action-packed fight against the American, but gave as good as he got before losing via a unanimous decision.
"A lot of people doubted how tough he really was and how good he really was and could he stand up with the elite guys," White told TNT Sports about Pimblett.
"I think he gained more fans and respect in that loss than he had in all his wins."
Pimblett faces Saint-Denis in Las Vegas before Conor McGregor makes his return to the Octagon for the first time since 2021 when he takes on Max Holloway.
Pimblett sits ninth in the UFC’s lightweight rankings, while Saint-Denis is fifth.
"Saturday is going to be the place to be. It is going to be fun," added White. "After seeing Paddy’s last fight, this should be incredible."
Despite losing to Gaethje, Pimblett’s stock rose with his performance, even more so after Gaethje went on to beat No. 1-ranked Ilia Topuria at UFC Freedom 250.
Pimblett has said that he is feeling less pressure ahead of his fight against Saint-Denis.
"That's only pushed me on, losing that fight,” he told UFC.com. "And this week I feel no pressure at all, whereas last time I did.
"I remember saying to my coach just after [the fight] that, before the walkout, before my song came on, I got very nervous, and I never get nervous, so it was weird. It was like I had a feeling I was going to lose.
"I always say: 'What’s the point of being nervous when you know you're gonna win?' I got nervous, so I obviously knew I wasn't going to win!
"The crazy thing about that last fight is I was on a seven-fight win streak before it, and I probably got more respect for losing that fight than I have for my seven-fight win streak.
"I've got more people giving me props for losing a fight than actually winning seven in a row. It’s crazy how fight fans are like that. It doesn’t make sense."
How to watch UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 in the UK
The main card of UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 will be shown exclusively live on TNT Sports Box Office.
UFC 329: McGregor vs Holloway 2 costs ÂŁ19.99 in the UK and can be watched via HBO Max, EE TV, Virgin Media TV, Prime Video and Sky. Details on how to purchase:
EE TV customers can purchase the event via their STB on channel 494.
Any HBO Max tier customer can purchase the event on hbomax.com. An HBO Max subscription to any plan is also required.
Prime Video customers do not need to have a Prime subscription to access this event. You can find live and upcoming PPV events in the ”Live and upcoming events” row on the Prime Video homepage and sports page, or by searching for a specific event title.
Republic of Ireland viewers can purchase TNT Sports Box Office via Sky at https://www.sky.com/boxoffice/tnt-sports - €29.99.
Sky customers can purchase via the HBO Max app – Sky customers should check whether they already have HBO Max included at no extra cost in their subscription. For those without an HBO Max subscription, HBO Max starts from £4.99 for a month.
Virgin Media TV customers in the UK: customers with a TiVo and/or V6 set-top-box should visit the On-Demand section and choose Live Events; customers with a Virgin TV 360 and/or Stream set-top-box should go to the Pay Per View Events rail.
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