Pimblett Insists Weight Cut On Track

Paddy Pimblett is 188 pounds with seven weeks to go until his lightweight bout against Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329 on July 11, and he wants everyone to know he is not concerned.

The 31-year-old has pushed back on the commentary surrounding his weight, directing particular frustration at what he described as unsolicited input from fight dietitians posting about him publicly.

"The weight is actually sound. You can all think what you want. You have all these stupid dietitians and fight dietitians posting pictures of me. You can't even make your own fighters make weight," Pimblett said

The context behind the scrutiny is not difficult to understand. Pimblett has previously acknowledged a genuine eating disorder and has spoken openly about the significant weight he carries between fights. The loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 was followed by an admission that he had put on additional weight during a difficult period in the aftermath of a defeat that pushed him to his limits emotionally.

At 188 pounds seven weeks out from a 155-pound bout, Pimblett is looking at a cut of 33 pounds — a figure that sits at the outer edge of what is medically considered manageable even for fighters without his documented history. His insistence that the weight is sound will be tested as the weeks progress, and the UFC 329 card — already headlined by McGregor versus Holloway — will be monitoring the situation closely.

Saint-Denis, meanwhile, is a dangerous opponent regardless of what condition Pimblett arrives in. The Frenchman is 17-3 with one no contest and brings a physical, grappling-heavy style that would test a lightweight operating at full capacity. Pimblett needs to make weight and arrive ready. Seven weeks is his window to prove the critics wrong.