Paddy Pimblett has disclosed that he competed at 190 pounds during his bout with Benoit Saint Denis, well above the lightweight limit. The Liverpool fighter added that he currently walks around at 200–205 pounds and believes reaching 250 pounds would be no challenge, raising genuine questions about his long-term future at lightweight.
Paddy Pimblett has revealed he stepped on the scale at 190 pounds the night of his lightweight bout against Benoit Saint Denis, a disclosure that puts his rehydration weight a full 15 pounds above the 155-pound divisional limit and casts fresh doubt on his long-term home at lightweight.
Pimblett, 31, holds a 24-4 record and is currently ranked fifth in the lightweight division. The Liverpool-born fighter, who trains out of Next Generation MMA, stands five-foot-ten with a 73-inch reach. Inside the cage he is an active and accurate striker, landing 5.48 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy, and he hunts submissions at a rate of 1.4 attempts per 15 minutes. In the interview he went further than the Saint Denis disclosure, saying he currently walks around between 200 and 205 pounds and believes reaching 250 pounds would present no difficulty — comments that make his continued presence in a 155-pound division look increasingly complicated.
Saint Denis, ranked one spot below Pimblett at sixth in the division, carries his own formidable numbers into every lightweight contest. The 30-year-old southpaw stands five-foot-eleven with a matching 73-inch reach and posts a record of 17-4. He lands 5.58 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy and is one of the division's most dangerous wrestlers, averaging 4.15 takedowns per 15 minutes alongside 1.7 submission attempts in the same window.
Why it matters
- A 190-pound fight-night weight means Pimblett was among the heaviest competitors on any lightweight card, giving away a significant size advantage to opponents who rehydrate more modestly.
- His candid admission about a 200-to-205-pound walk-around weight intensifies speculation over whether a move to welterweight is inevitable.
- Both fighters sit inside the lightweight top six, so the weight revelations add an asterisk to the divisional rankings picture at 155 pounds.
