UFC has officially announced Paddy Pimblett will face Benoit Saint-Denis on July 11 at UFC 329. According to Ariel Helwani, UFC is planning to book Max Holloway versus Conor McGregor for UFC 329 and Islam Makhachev versus Ian Garry for UFC 330 in the near future. Guram Azizyan, coach to several fighters including Pavlovich, stated he wants a rematch with Alexander Volkov, claiming Volkov only ran during their fight and that Pavlovich just needs to change tactics to win. Anatoly Malykhin explained why he won't move to UFC despite receiving offers, saying the ONE Championship CEO supported him when no one else would and that he won't leave until his boss tells him he's no longer needed. Alex Pereira and Max Holloway will appear on the UFC 6 video game covers, with Pereira on the base version and Holloway on the deluxe edition.
UFC has officially booked Paddy Pimblett against Benoit Saint-Denis for UFC 329 on July 11, with the promotion also moving forward on a number of other high-profile matchups and announcements in the coming weeks.
The Pimblett-Saint-Denis pairing headlines a card that could grow significantly. According to reporter Ariel Helwani, UFC is working to finalize Max Holloway versus Conor McGregor for UFC 329 on the same night, while a bout between lightweight champion Islam Makhachev and Ian Garry is being targeted for UFC 330. Neither of those fights has been officially confirmed.
Holloway, 34, carries a 27-9 record and currently sits fourth in the lightweight rankings and ninth in the pound-for-pound standings. Fighting out of Hawaii under Gracie Technics, the orthodox striker is one of the most prolific volume fighters in the sport, landing 7.2 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy.
Makhachev, also 34, is the reigning welterweight champion and the top-ranked fighter pound-for-pound in the world. The Dagestan native holds a 28-1 record and fights out of Eagles MMA as a southpaw. He averages 3.2 takedowns per 15 minutes and completes 1.1 submission attempts in the same span, making him one of the most dangerous grapplers in the sport.
Separately, the heavyweight picture drew attention after Guram Azizyan, coach to Sergei Pavlovich, publicly called for a rematch with number-one-ranked Alexander Volkov, claiming Volkov avoided exchanges during their previous fight and that Pavlovich can adjust his tactics to secure a different result. Volkov, 37, holds a 40-11 record and stands six-foot-seven with an 80-inch reach.
Why it matters
- Holloway-McGregor, if confirmed, would be one of the biggest fights in UFC 329 history by commercial scale
- Makhachev versus Garry would pit the pound-for-pound leader against a surging welterweight contender
- A Pavlovich-Volkov rematch would have direct heavyweight title implications given Volkov's top ranking
- Holloway and Alex Pereira will serve as the faces of the UFC 6 video game, reflecting their standing as the promotion's marquee stars
