Paddy Pimblett Wants Justin Gaethje Fight Next And Then Title Shot

Paddy Pimblett has revealed that he’s looking to fight Justin Gaethje next as he plots his course to a lightweight title shot.

The 30-year-old Pimblett’s stock rise after his biggest win to date last month when he TKO’d Michael Chandler in the third round at UFC 314.

That extended his UFC winning streak to seven fights, while seeing him rise up to No.8 in the rankings, and he now believes that one more high-profile victory will punch his ticket to a shot at the 155lb strap.

“I know for a fact that if I beat Gaethje, I’m next in line,” Pimblett said in an interview with TNT Sports. “It could be my next fight; it just depends if he says yes or no, because he’s fighting down the ranking again. Abu Dhabi, October, at pay-per-view. After what I’ve done to Chandler, I think I’ll finish Justin Gaethje”

Pimblett is also already thinking ahead to who he may face if he does fight for the belt. Former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria is already lined up to fight Charles Oliveira for the lightweight title recently vacated by Islam Makhachev, and given that he already has bad blood with Topuria, he believes that could be a blockbuster bout for the promotion.

“It’s probably better for me if Ilia wins the belt because he’ll probably call me out,” Pimblett said. “I don’t know who I want to win. I’m a fan of Charles, so I think I want Charles to win but it’s probably better for my career if Ilia wins because I’d more than likely be his first title defense.”

Pimblett and Topuria have trash-talked each other in the past, which then slipped over into a brief skirmish after they crossed paths prior to UFC Fight Night 204 in London a few years ago, with Pimblett throwing a plastic cup at him and Topuria firing back with a punch.

The two were in separate weight classes at the time, making a fight between them seem unlikely, but with Topuria now up at 155lbs it seems there’s still a possibility that they could settles their differences in the Octagon at some stage in the future.

Check out more from Pimblett’s conversation with TNT Sports in the video below.