Pimblett submits St. Denis in 52 seconds at UFC 329 and declares his jiu-jitsu best in the world

Paddy Pimblett submitted Benoit St. Denis in just 52 seconds in the co-main event of UFC 329, earning a $100,000 Performance of the Night bonus and immediately declaring himself the best jiu-jitsu practitioner in the UFC lightweight division.

St. Denis handed Pimblett the opening he needed by shooting for an early takedown, putting himself, in the Brit’s own words, “directly in harm’s way.” Pimblett capitalised instantly, securing a submission finish he later admitted was entirely improvised.

“Oh, I have never done that before,” Pimblett said at the post-fight press conference. “I just did that on the fly. That’s how good my jiu-jitsu is. My jiu-jitsu is the best in the world.”

The 30-year-old Liverpudlian was equally bullish about his long-term ambitions, making clear that a world title is the only destination he has in mind regardless of how many fights it takes to get there.

“I wanna be world champion,” Pimblett said. “I wanna be champion of the world. I wanna be the best… And I am gonna do that. I know that’s in my destiny… Whether it’s the next fight or the next 10 fights. I am gonna be a world champion.”

When pressed on his next opponent, Pimblett declined to name a single target, saying he wants whichever fight moves him closest to a title shot. He did, however, indicate he is open to a rematch with Justin Gaethje — who defeated him for the interim lightweight title earlier this year — should that bout be for the undisputed championship. He also named Arman Tsarukyan, Ilia Topuria, and former champion Charles Oliveira as potential opponents he would welcome.