\u201cThe Baddy\u201d wants to be THE guy.<\/p>\n
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) two-division champion<\/a> Conor McGregor finally returned to action after five years away against former Featherweight champion and BMF titleholder<\/a> Max Holloway at UFC 329<\/a> last night (Sat., July 11, 2026) inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.<\/p>\n Backstage, Paddy Pimblett was doing media after his ridiculously quick submission win over Benoit Saint-Denis when he watched McGregor\u2019s fight end in real time.<\/p>\n \u201cOh my god, McGregor\u2019s done already?\u201d Pimblett said. \u201cHe\u2019s finished; the new boy is in town. I can become the face of the organization now.\u201d<\/p>\n Pimblett is already one of UFC\u2019s most popular fighters<\/a>, and outside of McGregor, \u201cThe Baddy\u201d received the biggest reactions of fight week. The promotion is clearly behind him<\/a>, and after quickly submitting Saint-Denis in the UFC 329 co-main event, Pimblett delivered the kind of performance that people will remember most from the card.<\/p>\n He also put himself right back into the Lightweight title conversation.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was sad to see,\u201d Pimblett said. \u201cBut that\u2019s 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\u2019t keep up with it. Him coming out and throwing that crazy kick and his knee busting \u2014 I feel bad for him. He\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n It was a brutal ending for McGregor, who put everything into his return and barely got started.<\/p>\n For Pimblett, though, UFC 329 may have been the biggest night of his career.<\/p>\n McGregor\u2019s comeback ended in heartbreak, and \u201cThe Baddy\u201d might have just walked through the door he left open.<\/p>\n