Paddy Pimblett took on Benoit Saint Denis as he looked to bounce back from his first UFC defeat against Justin Gaethje earlier this year05:33, 12 Jul 2026Updated 05:40, 12 Jul 2026Paddy Pimblett stole the show from Conor McGregor after choking Benoit Saint Denis out unconscious in under a minute.‌Pimblett was looking to bounce back from his defeat by Justin Gaethje in January and knew victory would put him in contention for a rematch - and this time a lightweight title shot. Saint Denis, meanwhile, had bounced back from back-to-back defeats in 2024 with four early finishes since.‌The 'Baddy', already a darling of the American crowd, danced his way into the ring - with thousands cheering him on. Pimblett certainly fed off the energy and was desperate to put on a show.‌Rather than deciding to figure his foe early, Saint Denis made the rash decision to pounce and try and chop away at the Scouse scrapper early, but after a failed leg kick attempt, he soon found himself staring at the bottom of the canvas.FOLLOW OUR FIGHTING FB PAGE! Latest boxing and MMA news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook pagePimblett quickly sunk his arms deep under the chin of the Frenchman in a bid to enjoy a rather early night at the office. The Liverpool native has a habit of choking out opponents, and it was the worse possible start for the 'God of War'. And it soon got a lot more concerning.‌As the seconds ticked on, the choke seemed to get deeper, and an unresponsive Saint Denis offered little in return as the referee was quick to wave off the fight - handing Pimblett a stunning victory.Saint Denis - who was coming into the contest off the back of a dominant win over Dan Hooker earlier this year - was tipped to fight for the title next with a win over Pimblett, but the Scouser might just have punched his ticket to a shot at the undisputed prize, and a rematch with Gaethje.‌After getting his hand raised, the 31-year-old was quick to issue a call out of several names, including Topuria. "Sub of the year! I knew he was out. I had to say to the ref 'he's not conscious' and he had to check him. I told everyone all week, try to grab my legs and I will choke him unconscious," he told UFC commentator Joe Rogan."I'm like a spider. When I've got hold of you, you don't get out and it's as simple as that. Everyone counted me out. Everyone said I was finished because I lost to Gaethje but what now? Am I finished? Who wants it next? I'll beat Ilia [Topuria] up, I'll rematch Justin [Gaethje], I'll fight Conor [McGregor] or Max [Holloway] next. Give me everyone and I'll punch their head in."The Liverpool scrapper will arguably go down as the fighter that saved UFC 329 following the drama that surrounded the main event after McGregor injured his leg just seconds into his rematch with Max Holloway. The Irishman went for a spinning kick in the opening exchanges, but landed rather awkwardly - and eventually forced the referee to wave off the contest barely a minute into the clash.Article continues belowAlso on the main card, Brit Lone'er Kavanagh saw his flyweight title hopes take a hit when he was submitted by Brandon Royval in a thrilling clash. Kavanagh dropped the opening session but roared back in the second only for Royval to take his back in the third, eventually forcing Kavanagh to tap to a rear-naked choke.Earlier, Pimblett's teammate Luken Riley moved to 14-0 with an impressive first-round stoppage of Kai Kamaka III. A straight right hand dumped Kamaka on the canvas and although he scrambled back to his feet, the referee waved the fight off after another barrage of blows from the Englishman. King Green opened the main card with a buzzer-beating first round stoppage of Terrance McKinney who had dominated the opening session. Green dropped his rival with seconds remaining and the fight was waved off after a final barrage.