Paddy Pimblett will kick off 2026 with an interim lightweight title headliner against Justin Gaethje in the first event of the Paramount+ broadcasting deal at UFC 324 on January 24th, and the star is already envisaging other major fights to come in the rest of the year too.

“2026 is gonna be the biggest year of my life,” Pimblett told the UFC. “I am coming for that interim title, then I’ll be making it the undisputed title when I come and beat Ilia Topuria up and take the undisputed title.

“And little posh boy [Arman Tsarukyan], if he manages to fight in that time because he likes to sit out and say he’s got a sore back. If little posh boy fights in that time and keeps his ranking, I’ll punch his head in as well.”

The No.5 ranked Pimblett’s star power appears to have helped him leap-frog him above current No.1 contender Tsarukyan to land this interim title shot against Gaethje, but he has also put in the work in the Octagon too, having won all seven of his UFC fights so far.

And he’s beaten some notable names along the way too, although it has to be said that the likes of Tony Ferguson, King Green and most recently Michael Chandler were all clearly past their prime when he faced them.

Technically the 37-year-old Gaethje isn’t at his peak either, but the former UFC interim lightweight / BMF titleholder is still a major player in the division, so beating him would be a huge feather in Pimblett’s cap.