Paddy Pimblett sees a few potential options for his UFC return date. The Scouser would get the ball rolling sooner than later on a title contention. Now officially among the top crops, Pimblett is also vying a matchup with Islam Makhachev. To that end, Pimblett thinks no one can beat him, not even the champ.
Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) broke into the top 15 of the UFC lightweight rankings when he submitted King Green in the first round at UFC 304 PPV in July. The finish earned him a $200,000 Performance of the Night bonus. The fighter is making strides and hopes for a bloated top PPV spotlight treatment to the top. To that end, he can’t help but make bold claims, even against Islam Makhachev.
Think I’ve got to sit here? I’ve got to — think I’ve got to sit here and go ‘oh he’ll beat me’? I respect Islam, he’s a great champion…People will probably laugh at me for saying this, but obviously I think I’d beat him. I don’t think any man on this planet would beat me.
Paddy Pimblett on StillTalkingShow w/ Stillryan #1 (🎥
@st1llryan)
“The Baddy” has his eyes on Renato Moicano, who swiped Benoit Saint Denis at UFC Fight Night 243 (ESPN+) Paris headliner. After his violently delightful clinic, Dan Hooker is also a name Pimblett is entertaining. Hooker, for example, had ranked #5 in back-to-back 155lb reigns (Khabib Nurmagomedov and Islam Makhachev). These are top crops across the food chain. Hence, “Baddy” can’t help but be bad and crass about his intentions.
Paddy Pimblett believes he’d beat Islam Makhachev:
“I respect Islam, he’s a great champion.
People will probably laugh at me for saying this, but obviously I think I’d beat him. I don’t think any man on this planet would beat me.”
🎥 @st1llryanpic.twitter.com/bym5zxVNDt
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) November 26, 2024
It’s only the crass ones that get into the conversation, after all. 145-pound champ Ilia Topuria proved that this year. Topuria is yet another name the rising contender has in mind for the long run. It’s the dream of every fighter to end up as a “champ’s” champ; both Topuria and Pimblett see that opportunity in each other. However, Camp Topuria dissuades and unsells that implication.
Ilia Topuria’s trainer Jorge Climent: Potential fight with Paddy Pimblett would be an ‘abuse’
What once seemed possible now seems mismatched, according to Ilia Topuria’s trainer Jorge Climent. Just two years ago, there was much talk of Topuria, who now holds the UFC Featherweight title, fighting lightweight star Paddy Pimblett. Now – not so more.
Topuria has run through two former UFC competition top Pound-for-pound fighters and is undefeated. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) now holds mroe than just the fame that was projected for Pimblett. He made the Forbes Spain’s ’30 under 30′ list, met with the President and took over national tele. He even took over the Super Bowl LVIII Radio Row, Jack Slack Podcast 164; receiving an ovation on El Hormiguero interview. That too all under a year!
UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett receives poor feedback from rival team (Source: X)The two fighters got into a brief skirmish at the host hotel at UFC Fight Night 204 in London back in March 2022. They had a long history of social media exchanges, sparked by Pimblett’s comments poking fun at the Russo-Georgian War. While Pimblett issued a public apology, Climent thinks the balance in scale is a bit too much now for a fight.
The truth is that at that moment there was anger because of all the history of Ilia’s family members fighting in the war, so he truly wanted to fu*k him up …Who has he beat? All his fights, they put someone alright in front of him, just so he can exist and stay relevant. He’s very mediatic because of how he talks and all that, but…I don’t think he deserves it…What would that be, abuse?
Jorge Climent to MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura for @HablemosMMA
Pimblett and Topuria’s friction resurfaced after Pimblett reacted to Topuria’s KO win over Max Holloway at UFC 308 last month. He said he thinks he’d still beat him if the two were to fight. The coach gives a hard pass on that.
After competing three times in 2022, Pimblett has competed just twice since – a lopsided decision over Tony Ferguson in December 2023, and the finish of Green in July. From Daniel Zellhuber to Beneil Dariush, a lot have similar opinions of Pimblett steamrolling premediated competition. However, Topuria has proven another breed altogether.
