Overview
- Pimblett is officially booked as the co-main event at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11, where he will face rising lightweight Benoit Saint Denis.
- Pimblett has publicly said he wants to win and defend the lightweight belt then move up to welterweight and that he would be willing to fight Conor McGregor at 170 pounds if needed.
- Saint Denis arrives on a multi-fight win streak, is ranked above Pimblett at 155 pounds, and a win for either fighter would put them closer to an undisputed title shot.
- Pimblett lost the interim lightweight title fight to Justin Gaethje in January and later revealed he gained up to about 210 pounds during recovery, a detail observers cite when weighing a future move to 170.
- Even with Pimblett's McGregor offer, the realistic path to big fights runs through the current lightweight order led by Gaethje and contenders such as Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira, making the July 11 result decisive for Pimblett's next steps.