Some recent clues have made it pretty clear who Paddy Pimblett is set to face next.
Pimblett is planning his next move after falling short in his first title shot back in January.
He was defeated by Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 324, a fight for the interim lightweight belt. With Gaethje now moving on to face Ilia Topuria, Pimblett needs to regroup and get back on track against another top contender. And it’s become quite clear who that opponent will be.
Fans convinced Paddy Pimblett is facing Benoit Saint-Denis after ‘southpaw’ clue
Pimblett requested a slot on the card at International Fight Week in July, and Dana White agreed. The Scouser later confirmed that his return date had been locked in.
While names like Dan Hooker and Renato Moicano have come up after their recent back-and-forths, Pimblett’s latest Instagram activity seems to rule both of them out.
Pimblett shared a photo with former fighter ‘Stun Gun’ Dong Hyun Kim and current UFC welterweight Seok Hyeon Ko, who had stopped by Next Generation MMA gym in Liverpool.
The caption hinted at his next move, suggesting training with southpaws was no coincidence. “Great to have @stungunkim and @ko.seokhyeon in the gym today some perfect rounds for me with some southpaws 👀,” he wrote.
Plenty of fans pointed out that Benoit Saint-Denis would make sense given that clue.
“Yeah it’s BSD then. Dan Hooker and Moicano are orthodox.”
“BSD or Gamrot. More evidence towards it being BSD.”
“It has to be Saint-Denis.”
“The two can just stop hinting at it now. We know it’s BSD and Paddy.”
“Obviously BSD.”
“No need to hint anything, we know it’s BSD.”
Paddy Pimblett’s UFC 329 comeback could fall on Conor McGregor card
Should Pimblett’s next fight get booked for July 11, it might be the first time he shares a card with Conor McGregor.
The Irishman hasn’t fought since 2021 and had been aiming for a return at the White House event in June of this year.
That didn’t end up happening, as the UFC seemed to prefer his comeback headline an arena event to maximise revenue. McGregor remains one of combat sports’ biggest draws despite his long layoff and back-to-back losses before stepping away.
Now, talks have shifted towards International Fight Week, where Max Holloway is reportedly being lined up as McGregor’s opponent.
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