Rafael Fiziev thinks Benoit Saint Denis and Paddy Pimblett will deliver another classic in the lightweight division at UFC 329.
The matchup between Saint Denis and Pimblett will serve as the co-main event of the July 11 card at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+), and it’s high stakes at 155 pounds.
Advertisement
Saint Denis (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) will look to extend his winning streak to five fights and put himself high in the queue for his first crack at UFC gold, while Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) looks to rebound from his interim title bout loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January.
Fiziev (14-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC), who is coming off a main event victory over Manuel Torres at UFC Fight Night 280 in Baku, Azerbaijan, is intrigued by the pairing, especially because he sees both men having a willingness to throw technique out the window for the sake of a brawl.
“Very good fight,” Fiziev told MMA Junkie. “For me, it’s very similar fighters. They like to do a little crazy stuff. They both fight, their fighting styles of Benoit and Paddy, they are like street fighters from the outside. Just guys who come from the street. The punching from everywhere, all the angles. They kick a different way.”
Given the reckless approach of both athletes, Fiziev said he has a hard time predicting who will get caught up in the chaos and find themselves on the wrong end of a finish. What Fiziev is more confident in predicting, however, is that they will rack up another post-fight bonus and leave with an extra $100,000 each.
Advertisement
“These guys both have a big heart and I believe when the fight start they will go after each other and go bone-to-bone,” Fiziev said. “I think it’s going to be a Fight of the Night, for sure.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Rafael Fiziev: ‘Street fighters’ Saint Denis, Pimblett will get UFC 329 FOTN
