Paddy Pimblett is keen to welcome Ilia Topuria to the lightweight division following his dominant performance at UFC 314.
At UFC 314 in Miami, Pimblett achieved a significant victory by defeating Michael Chandler, extending his UFC record to 7-0.
Many fans are eager to see a fight between Pimblett and Ilia Topuria, a former featherweight champion. Pimblett addressed this possibility after mentioning Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan in his post-fight interview.
“Honestly, I didn`t even think about him,” Pimblett admitted about Topuria. “He`s so irrelevant that he didn`t even cross my mind for my callouts. I am ranked higher than him in the lightweight division, so I would gladly face him at 155 pounds. However, it seems he is waiting for a title shot.”
Pimblett added, “My victory over Chandler showed the way to beat him. I am confident I can replicate that exact performance against Ilia.”
Pimblett aims to compete for the lightweight championship in 2026 and is focused on securing another win, regardless of whether his opponent is Islam Makhachev or another contender.
“There`s talk that Islam might retire after a couple more title defenses, or if Jack Della Maddalena defeats Belal Muhammad, he might move up to welterweight,” Pimblett noted. “It`s uncertain, but I`m training to fight the best, potentially Islam Makhachev, though he might not be champion when I get there.”
“We have to wait and see how things unfold. I`m ready to fight whoever the UFC puts in front of me next.”
