Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett submitted Benoit Saint-Denis in just 52 seconds at UFC 329 to strengthen his claim for a lightweight title shot.

Pimblett stuffed a takedown and attacked the neck, sinking in a guillotine choke and closing out the co-main event in swift fashion.

Saint-Denis refused to tap and referee Marc Goddard had to step in as the Frenchman went unconscious on the canvas.

Pimblett leapt out of the octagon to celebrate before paying tribute to Liverpool and Portugal winger Diogo Jota, who died in a car accident 12 months ago.

It was Pimblett’s first fight since losing against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title in January and the 31-year-old called for a rematch.

“Sub of the year. I’m like a spider. When I’ve got hold of you, you don’t get out and it’s as simple as that,” Pimblett said.

“Everyone counted me out. Everyone said I was finished because I lost to Gaethje but what now? Am I finished? Who wants it next? I’ll beat Ilia [Topuria] up, I’ll rematch Justin [Gaethje], I’ll fight Conor [McGregor] or Max [Holloway] next. Give me everyone and I’ll punch their head in.”

Pimblett takes his record to 24 wins from 28 fights, with seven of those victories coming by submission.

Despite entering the fight on the back of a defeat – his first since 2018 – Pimblett cut a confident figure and was warmly welcomed by a sell-out crowd at T-Mobile Arena as he danced his way to octagon.

Being handed a spot in the co-main event on the UFC’s marquee International Fight Week card shows just how much Pimblett is valued by the promotion and he repaid their faith.

Saint-Denis was on a four-fight win streak and expected to offer Pimblett a test but had no answer for the Briton’s high-level jiu-jitsu.

Earlier, Luke Riley, who trains with Pimblett at Liverpool’s Next Generation gym, opened the preliminary card in stunning fashion.

Making just his third appearance under the UFC banner, Riley, 27, extended his perfect record to 14 victories with a TKO victory over Kai Kamaka III.

The UFC has put a lot of faith in Riley – handing him a co-main event slot at UFC London in March – and he continued to deliver.

Riley dropped Kamaka with a heavy right late in round one before forcing the referee to step in after unloading with knees and punches.

“My past two fights I’ve been very harsh on myself but I’m very happy with this one,” Riley said.

“When I hit someone it’s bedtime – they are going for a nap.”

But Lone’er Kavanagh’s hopes of climbing up the flyweight rankings took a hit as he fell to a submission loss in a chaotic contest with Brandon Royval.

The Londoner dropped Royval early in round two after landing a looping right but was unable to get the finish as he emptied the tank against the durable American.

Royval recovered quickly and gained control in the third, taking Kavanagh’s back before sinking in a rear naked choke.

Kavanagh, 27, had hopes of earning a title shot with victory, having upset former two-time champion Brandon Moreno in March, but will have to reset after his second loss in five fights since signing with the UFC.

Pimblett turned down offers to sign with the UFC when he was aged 21 and again at 23, before finally putting pen to paper as a 26-year-old in 2021.

His decision to bide his time has proven to be a shrewd one as he’s steadily climbed the rankings over the past five years.

So what comes next?

A grudge match with Illia Topuria has been on the cards ever since the pair clashed during fight week at UFC London in 2022.

Their rivalry has continued to bubble away over the past four years as Topuria went on to win titles at featherweight and lightweight.

But the Georgian-Spaniard’s next step remains unclear as he looks to bounce back from a first career defeat after losing the lightweight belt to Justin Gaethje on June’s White House card.

The UFC would likely have loved to see them meet with a title on the line but they could settle their differences in a bid to become the number one contender.

However, Topuria, 29, suffered a broken orbital against Gaethje and may need time to recover – potentially opening the door for Pimblett to get revenge and a title shot.

Pimblett’s only loss in the UFC has aged well following Gaethje’s title triumph.