Poirier Backs Pimblett as Underdog Against Saint Denis at UFC 329

Dustin Poirier, a fighter whose name carries weight in the UFC, recently made a prediction that might surprise casual observers of the sport. On the "Deep Waters" podcast, he backed Paddy Pimblett to defeat Benoit Saint Denis in their lightweight matchup at UFC 329—a choice that positions him squarely behind the underdog.

The fight is set for July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, as the co-main event. Conor McGregor and Max Holloway will headline the card in a five-round welterweight bout, but Poirier's attention turned to the lighter weight class and the two men who will precede them.

Poirier's reasoning was methodical. He drew a comparison to Pimblett's recent loss against Justin Gaethje, suggesting that if Gaethje had faced Saint Denis instead, the outcome would have been decisive in Gaethje's favor. But Pimblett, he noted, did not fold. He absorbed punishment and kept moving forward, a quality that speaks to his durability. Poirier doubted whether Saint Denis possessed the wrestling credentials to drag Pimblett to the canvas, where the Frenchman might find more favorable terrain. On the feet, Poirier saw a clear advantage: Pimblett's superior striking combined with his proven chin would likely prevail. Saint Denis, in his assessment, lacked the refinement in stand-up exchanges, though he compensated with power and a willingness to absorb risk to land his own shots.

For both fighters, this bout carries genuine stakes. Pimblett arrives as the No. 6-ranked lightweight after suffering his first UFC loss to Gaethje at UFC 324 earlier in the year. His first seven fights in the organization had gone undefeated, a streak that established him as a prospect worth watching. Before the Gaethje setback, he had dismantled Michael Chandler, a performance that demonstrated his ceiling when operating at full capacity. A win over Saint Denis would signal that the Gaethje loss was a bump rather than a trajectory shift.

Saint Denis, ranked No. 5, enters as the higher-seeded fighter but with a different narrative arc. He has won four consecutive fights, each ending in a finish—a streak that has rehabilitated his standing after being stopped by both Poirier and Renato Moicano in the fights immediately preceding this run. Across his entire professional career, all 17 of his victories have come by knockout or submission. He is, by any measure, a finisher. Against Pimblett, who is famously difficult to put away, Saint Denis will be tested in a way his recent opponents have not tested him.

The lightweight division remains one of the UFC's most congested and talented weight classes. A victory here for either man strengthens the case for title consideration, though the path forward differs depending on the outcome. For Pimblett, it is redemption and a return to the trajectory interrupted by Gaethje. For Saint Denis, it is validation that his current form can withstand elite-level opposition and a statement that his finishing prowess translates even against the most durable opponents. Poirier's prediction suggests he believes Pimblett's toughness and technical superiority on the feet will prove decisive, but Saint Denis's power and aggression remain formidable variables in an equation that will be solved only when the cage door closes.