Paddy Pimblett did not wait long to read the room after Conor McGregor‘s comeback fell apart at UFC 329.
Pimblett had just finished his own co-main event work, putting Benoit Saint Denis out with a first-round D’Arce choke in 52 seconds. While he was still doing media backstage, the room reacted to McGregor’s main-event injury stoppage against Max Holloway, and Pimblett immediately turned the moment into a star-power claim.
“Oh my god, McGregor’s done already?” Pimblett said. “He’s finished; the new boy is in town. I can become the face of the organization now.”
The UFC_AUSNZ clip below shows Pimblett catching the result in real time.
Classic Paddy 😂
Paddy Pimblett reacts to the outcome of the main event mid interview! #UFC329 pic.twitter.com/qPtYTCHv8S
— UFC_AUSNZ (@UFC_AUSNZ) July 12, 2026
Pimblett’s Timing Was Ruthless, But The Opening Was Real
The line hit because the night had shifted hard in two different directions. McGregor’s return after five years ended in just 69 seconds, with Holloway getting the official injury TKO in the UFC 329 main event. Pimblett, meanwhile, walked out of the co-main event with the kind of quick finish that immediately changes how a fighter is discussed.
MiddleEasy’s Pimblett vs. Saint Denis result post covered the choke sequence and official 0:52 finish. The bigger question now is what UFC does with him next, because the promotion just watched one of its loudest lightweights win fast on the same night McGregor’s return collapsed.
Pimblett Later Said He Felt Bad For McGregor
Pimblett’s backstage reaction carried the joke, but he softened the tone when asked about McGregor’s injury at the UFC 329 post-fight press conference.
“It was sad to see,” Pimblett said. “But that’s the thing about this sport, you have to stay consistent and got to keep fighting. With him not fighting for so long, his body couldn’t keep up with it. Him coming out and throwing that crazy kick and his knee busting — I feel bad for him. He’s put so much into coming back to get back in the Octagon, and that happens in the first five seconds, you gotta feel for him.”
The Championship Rounds clip below captured Pimblett’s softer post-fight answer on McGregor’s injury.
Paddy Pimblett says it was sad watching Conor McGregor's freak injury against Max Holloway:
"I think because he hasn't fought in so long, his body couldn't keep up with it. I feel bad for him, he's put so much into coming back. You've gotta feel for him." #UFC329 pic.twitter.com/5wEVYcyw2y
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) July 12, 2026
Watch the UFC 329 post-fight press conference below.
McGregor’s injury picture is still developing. UFC doctors initially suspected a major knee injury, and Dana White said an MRI would determine the full damage. McGregor later pushed back on the idea that he entered the fight hurt, saying the knee problem came out of nowhere.
That leaves Pimblett in an awkward but familiar fight-business lane. He can feel sympathy for McGregor and still recognize the opening. UFC 329 gave him a fast win, a viral quote, and a damaged superstar above him. Whether that makes Pimblett the new face of anything is still a much bigger test, but he did not miss the chance to say it first.
