Pimblett dismisses St. Denis as a lesser threat than Gaethje ahead of UFC 329

Paddy Pimblett has drawn a sharp line between Benoit St. Denis and Justin Gaethje, arguing his upcoming UFC 329 opponent is a significantly lesser threat than the man who handed him a unanimous decision loss for the interim lightweight title in January.

Pimblett (23-4) meets St. Denis (17-3) in the co-main event at UFC 329 on Saturday, July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Despite arriving off the back of that lopsided defeat to Gaethje (28-5), “The Baddy” is bullish about his chances, claiming he sees no route to victory for the Frenchman.

“I can’t see how he beats me,” Pimblett said in a recent interview. “He’s gonna try to take me down and get choked, or he’s gonna stand with me and get knocked out. Justin Gaethje’s a completely different animal from him.”

Pimblett was candid about the damage Gaethje inflicted — the new 155-pound king put him through a sustained beatdown over five rounds — but he believes St. Denis simply does not possess the same tools. “[St. Denis] won’t be able to do [what Gaethje did],” Pimblett added. “He hasn’t got the cardio to do that, and he hasn’t got the chin. So if he wants to have a scrap like that, I’ll knock his a** out.”

The former Cage Warriors champion laid out a binary prediction: if the fight hits the mat, he expects to secure a submission; if it stays on the feet, he is backing himself to score a knockout.

St. Denis, however, arrives in strong form. The French-Canadian lightweight has won four consecutive bouts, finishing all four opponents, which makes him a credible threat regardless of how Pimblett frames the matchup. Pimblett, for his part, is clearly motivated to return to winning ways after the most damaging loss of his UFC career.