Paddy Pimblett would love to welcome Ilia Topuria to the lightweight division after the best performance of his career at UFC 314.
In the co-main event of Saturday’s card in Miami, Pimblett decimated and stopped Michael Chandler to move to 7-0 in the UFC.
A big fight awaits “The Baddy,” and a lot of fans would like to see Pimbett’s rivalry with former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria play out in the octagon. Pimblett was asked about that potential bout after calling out the likes of Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan in his post-fight interview with Joe Rogan.
“To be honest, I forgot about him,” Pimblett said. “I forgot all about him, or I would’ve mentioned him in the cage. … That’s how irrelevant he is. I’m ranked higher than he is at lightweight so I’d love to welcome him at 155, but apparently he’s sitting out and waiting for the title shot.
“But what I’ve just done to Chandler, [that’s] the blueprint to beating him. I’ll do the exact same thing to Ilia what I’ve done to Chandler.”
Pimblett hopes to fight for the lightweight title in 2026 by securing another victory, and no matter who that is — whether it’s Islam Makhachev, or somebody else — the rising star will be ready to do what’s necessary.
“I’ve seen stuff where Islam might retire after another defense or two, or if [Jack Della Maddalena] beats Belal Muhammad, he’ll move up and fight for the welterweight belt,” Pimblett explained. “I have no idea, but obviously you train to fight the best, so I’m training to fight Islam Makhachev, but he might not even be the champion by the time I get there.
“We’re just going to have to see what happens. You’ve got to let it all play out, haven’t you? Whoever’s in front of me, that’s who I fight. Whoever the UFC sends me… that’s who I fight next, and that’ll be whoever I fight next.”
