UFC 329’s main and co-main events have been points of contention this fight week, as fans speculate whether Conor McGregor will finally show up, and whether co-main fighter Benoit Saint-Denis has a fight-risking infection.
Rumours circulated about Saint-Denis’ status after training photos were released showing the French fighter kicking a heavy bag. Fans zoomed in on the fighter’s foot, which appeared to be marred with a scab on the ankle. Soon enough, talks of staph infections took over UFC 329 fight week.
Saint-Denis quickly denied these claims in an interview with RMC Sports, claiming, “It’s not a staph infection.”
Les mots rassurants de Benoît Saint Denis sur son état de santé ! 🇫🇷
🚨 L’UFC 329 avec LE RETOUR de Conor McGregor et Benoît Saint Denis 🇫🇷, c’est dans la nuit du 11 au 12 juillet à partir de 00H, en direct sur RMC Sport 1 📺 Abonne toi ! ➡️
“No, I don’t have staph,” Saint-Denis said. “Things can move very quickly on social media now, and it gets a bit ridiculous. I did have a scab on my foot, but it’s not staph. . . . These things can happen. But the camp was managed very well. The fatigue was managed very well too.”
Benoit Saint-Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett at UFC 329
Saint-Denis fights Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event of UFC 329; it’s arguably Saint-Denis’ biggest opportunity in his UFC career.
‘God of War’ flunked his biggest fight to date against Dustin Poirier in 2024, mauling Poirier in the first round but waning in the second and giving away a knockout.
GettySaint-Denis has pulled out of one UFC fight
A second loss at the hands of Renato Moicano halted any momentum Saint-Denis had, but he recovered, picking up four more finishes, including high-profile wins over Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush, and Dan Hooker. Ruffy, in particular, is the backup fighter for the UFC 329 main event.
Now, he gets the opportunity to hand Pimblett a second loss in a row. The Brit lost his chance at the interim lightweight title to now-champion Justin Gaethje in January, and hasn’t fought since.
With Pimblett’s last fight being a title opportunity, Saint-Denis could well join the queue of title contenders with an emphatic win on July 11.
Who’s Fighting at UFC 329
UFC 329 features 14 fights in total, subject to change. Conor McGregor returns in the welterweight main event against Max Holloway, and Benoit Saint-Denis takes on Paddy Pimblett in the co-main event. There are no titles on the line; only title-fight implications for the main and co-main winners.
Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson makes his UFC debut on the main card, and former champions Robert Whittaker and Cody Garbrandt star on the undercard.
- Conor McGregor (22-6) vs. Max Holloway (27-9); welterweight
- Benoit Saint-Denis (17-3) vs. Paddy Pimblett (23-4); lightweight
- Cory Sandhagen (18-6) vs. Mario Bautista (17-3); bantamweight
- Gable Steveson (3-0) vs. Elisha Ellison (5-2); heavyweight
- Brandon Royval (17-9) vs. Lone’er Kavanagh (10-1); flyweight
- Damian Pinas (9-1) vs. Cesar Almeida (7-2); middleweight
- Ryan Gandra (9-1) vs. Zach Reese (10-3); middleweight
- Cody Durden (18-10-1) vs. Ode Osbourne (13-9); flyweight
- Cody Garbrandt (15-7) vs. Adrian Yanez (17-6-1); bantamweight
- Kai Kamaka III (18-7-1) vs. Luke Riley (13-0); featherweight
- Robert Whittaker (26-9) vs. Nikita Krylov (31-11); light heavyweight
- Tracy Cortez (12-3) vs. Cong Wang (9-1); flyweight
- King Green (35-17-1) vs. Terrance McKinney (18-8); lightweight
- Farid Basharat (15-0) vs. John Garza (6-1); bantamweight
The event kicks off at 5 pm ET, with the main event expected around 11 pm ET.
UFC 329 Co-Headliner Denies Infection Rumors