Paddy Pimblett rebounded from his brutal loss to Justin Gaethje earlier this year in thrilling fashion, defeating Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event at the UFC 329 card which took place on Saturday, the 11th of July from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Pimblett is one of the sport’s biggest stars thanks to his raucous fan-base, extraordinary ring-walks, and for the TV-friendly fighting style he exhibits, which has generated many memorable encounters in Cage Warriors and UFC, win or lose.

Pimblett has been competing at the highest echelons in the UFC’s lightweight division for years now, and despite his recent loss, did not take a backward step by taking on Saint Denis, who took four wins on the spin to the Octagon, including finishes over Mauricio Ruffy, Beneil Dariush, and Dan Hooker.

But, over the weekend, Pimblett appeared unfazed at his opponent’s accolades and scored a first-round submission.

Paddy Pimblett Sleeps Benoit Saint Denis

In three defeats as a pro MMA fighter to date, Saint Denis had never been submitted, losing only to a decision (Elizeu Zeliskis dos Santos) and knockouts (Dustin Poirier and Renato Moicano). But even in those finishes, nobody stopped him in as lightning quick fashion as Pimblett.

In footage you can see below, it’s clear Pimblett attacks in rapid fashion, secures a guillotine on Saint Denis, locks the submission within 30 seconds around the neck, and sends the Frencman to sleep. The referee, Marc Goddard, waved the fight off when he grabbed ahold of Saint Denis’s arm, held it high, and let go. And when it dropped immediately to the canvas, Goddard knew he was out cold. It was all over.

Watch Pimblett put Saint Denis to sleep right here:

Here is another look:

Victory advanced Pimblett’s pro MMA record to 24 wins (seven knockouts and 11 submissions) against four defeats, and crucially sees him rebound instantly after the loss to Gaethje.

It was a tight game, but England just about had enough in them to get across the line against Norway. Two goals from Jude Bellingham sent the Three Lions into the World Cup semi-finals, as they won the match 2-1.

A freakish goal allowed their opponents to take a first-half lead when Andreas Schjelderup’s cross looped over Jordan Pickford’s head. Just before the break, Bellingham then levelled the score, although his goal came in controversial fashion, with the ball appearing to hit a TV camera during the build-up.

The second half passed with more drama as Norway’s Torbjorn Heggem had a goal ruled out when VAR spotted a push by Erling Haaland, but just three minutes into extra-time Bellingham popped up with his second. Morgan Rogers’ strike was spilt by goalkeeper Orjan Nyland, allowing the midfielder to steal in for the winner.

It was a tough game, and Thomas Tuchel wasn’t happy with his team. However, his response has not gone down well with Bellingham.

Thomas Tuchel Unhappy After England 2-1 Norway

Speaking to the press immediately after the win, Tuchel made it clear that he wasn’t satisfied with the performance, despite obviously being delighted to have made it to the World Cup semi-finals. He told the media: “We made life very difficult for ourselves. The result is fantastic, it’s amazing, but we are not happy with the performance.”

When pushed for more details, the German explained, “In every sense. Sloppy, a lot of technical mistakes, not fast enough: we were lucky today.” He was also quoted as saying:

His comments appear to have irked Bellingham. Speaking to ITV, the Real Madrid star seemed pretty dismissive of Tuchel’s criticisms, as he shot back: “Whatever. It’s difficult out there. A tough shift. Character, perseverance: when things weren’t working, we found a way to win a game. We gave it everything we’ve got. So proud of this team.”

While some might put the tension down to high emotions in the heat of the moment, he doubled down on his stance when talking to BBC Sport in another interview. Bellingham was asked, “Thomas has just been quite critical of the performance, does that just show the standards he expects?” The midfielder shot back:

Bellingham certainly didn’t pull any punches as he appeared to suggest Tuchel should have been more ‘positive’ with his post-game reaction. It will certainly be interesting to see how the German now repsonds to this criticism from one of his own key players.

For now, though, both men will just be relieved to have made it into the semi-finals.