Dustin Poirier explains why he’s backing Paddy Pimblett to win next fight at UFC 329

Dustin Poirier believes Paddy Pimblett can knock out Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329 in July.

Poirier has battled a who’s who of the greatest UFC lightweights, so his opinion on upcoming fights in the division carries a lot of weight.

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Pimblett vs Saint Denis is likely to decide the next UFC lightweight title contender, with current champion Ilia Topuria defending the belt against Justin Gaethje at UFC White House next month.

‘The Baddy’ hasn’t fought since losing an interim lightweight title bout to Gaethje in January, while Saint Denis stopped Dan Hooker at UFC 325 last time out and is on a four-fight winning streak.

In the eyes of many MMA fans, the UFC 329 co-main event is a pick ’em fight because it’s so tough to split Pimblett and Saint Denis on paper.

But Poirier, who retired in 2025 after losing to Max Holloway, who faces Conor McGregor in the headliner of UFC 329, only sees one man winning.

Poirier’s Pimblett prediction

“I’ve got Paddy,” Poirier responded on UFC on Paramount+ when asked to pick his winner of Pimblett’s fight against ‘BSD’.

“Both guys are great fighters. I just compare it to the Gaethje fight.

“I think if BSD fought Gaethje, Gaethje would stop him on the feet.

“Paddy took it and was still able to keep walking forward. I just don’t know if BSD is going to be able to get him down. 

“I think Paddy probably wins on the feet. BSD is not that slick on the feet.

“[Saint Denis] might have power – and he’s not scared to take chances, but he’ll walk in front of you, get in your face, and put himself in harm’s way to land his shots.

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“I just think Paddy is probably a little bit better on the feet.”

‘The Baddy’ still has eyes on gold

Despite coming up short against Gaethje at UFC 324 in his first promotional defeat, Pimblett was praised for his grit and determination during the five-round main event.

The 31-year-old was knocked down twice, but proved he could stand and bang with one of the UFC’s best fighters.

After all, Pimblett has since admitted that he let his ego get in the way on fight night, eager to prove the world wrong by knocking Gaethje out.

“With the last fight, I think a little bit of my ego got in the way,” Pimblett said last month.

“I wanted to knock him out. I wanted to strike with him and wanted a war.

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“[But now it’s] back to fight IQ. Back to the game plan and not just swinging recklessly.”

If he wants another war against Saint Denis, Pimblett will doubtless have his wishes granted.

Saint Denis hasn’t lost in the UFC since September 2024, when his Paris headliner against Renato Moicano was stopped early.

The Frenchman was a bloody mess after two rounds, leaving the doctor no choice but to stop the fight.

Wins over names like Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush and Hooker since the loss have placed Saint Denis as the No. 5-ranked UFC lightweight.

Pimblett sits just one spot below and will put himself in a good position to fight the winner of Topuria vs Gaethje next if he defeats ‘God of War’.

UFC Schedule

For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s UFC schedule.

Also at UFC 329, Pimblett’s teammate Luke Riley faces Kai Kamaka at featherweight and another Briton in Lone’er Kavanagh takes on perennial flyweight contender Brandon Royval.