Paddy Pimblett sees two options for his next fight if the UFC doesn’t book him opposite Ilia Topuria immediately.
Pimblett was a outstanding talking point within the aftermath of last Saturday’s UFC 317 pay-per-view despite not competing at Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena.
After Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to say the vacant lightweight title, ‘The Baddy’ entered the Octagon to face off together with his longtime rival.
While that may need set the stage for the Spaniard’s first defense, many have pushed back on the notion that Pimblett’s dominant win over Michael Chandler warrants a title shot next.
Should the UFC agree with that sentiment, Pimblett sees two potential contenders who could possibly be placed between him and Topuria’s gold.
Paddy Pimblett includes Dan Hooker on list of potential next opponents
Before the events of UFC 317, Pimblett pointed to Justin Gaethje as his likely opponent in a title eliminator. However the American’s willingness to face a fellow contender was thrown up within the air when his manager claimed he would retire if not given the following title shot.
With that, the Scouser may have to look elsewhere — and there aren’t an entire lot of options.
During a recent appearance on Eric Nicksick’s Verse Us podcast, Pimblett reiterated that Gaethje stays top of his list should he miss out on a direct likelihood at dethroning Topuria.
Beyond ‘The Highlight’, Pimblett doesn’t see much else other than Dan Hooker.
“It will greater than likely be Gaethje, to be honest,” Pimblett said. “I don’t think anyone cares about watching Arman Tsarukyan fight…nobody gives a f— about him.
“I reckon it will be Gaethje. Obviously, (Dustin) Poirier’s retiring. (Max) Holloway’s gonna have a f—— war with him, so obviously he’s not fighting for a number of months.
“Dan Hooker, possibly,” Pimblett added.
Hooker has been sidelined through injury since breaking back into title contention with a victory over Mateusz Gamrot in Australia last August. He was originally set to face Gaethje this 12 months before suffering an injury setback.
Paddy Pimblett urges UFC to book first real grudge match since Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor
In an excellent world for Pimblett, he wouldn’t even must undergo either Gaethje or Hooker to seek out himself competing with UFC gold on the road for the primary time.
‘The Baddy’ made the case for his title shot within the aftermath of UFC 317 by insisting that his clash with Topuria would mark the one time an actual feud has reached the Octagon since Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor’s heated rivalry.
“I’m at all times ready to do this (face off). We’ve got history,” Pimblett said. “You don’t even must sell that fight, it sells itself. Two individuals who genuinely dislike one another.
“You don’t really see that. We haven’t seen that since Khabib and McGregor. Two individuals who actually hate one another because I hate him. I wouldn’t even need to finish him fast. I’d need to finish him with a minute left within the fight after I’ve elbowed him 700 times. I need to disfigure him.”
Whether or not that can sway the UFC in Pimblett’s favor, though, stays to be seen.