Paddy Pimblett’s first UFC title shot is officially on the calendar.
The Scouser has been granted a controversial opportunity to have gold wrapped around his waist for the primary time within the UFC.
Dana White announced a number of massive fights for early 2026, including a clash between Pimblett and Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. The belt’s creation comes because of this of champion Ilia Topuria taking a hiatus as a result of personal issues.
‘The Baddy’ and ‘The Highlight’ will headline UFC 324 in Las Vegas on January 24, and the previous shall be hoping to bring a UFC title back to Liverpool to kick off his campaign in the brand new 12 months.
But judging by some comments from a variety of years ago, one ex-UFC champ thinks Pimblett could have already jeopardized his possibilities…
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Is Paddy Pimblett’s UFC record strong enough to deserve a title shot?
TJ Dillashaw said Paddy Pimblett needed to stop drastic weight gain between UFC fights
It didn’t take long for Paddy Pimblett to make a splash within the UFC after debuting in 2021 as a highly regarded former Cage Warriors champion.
Along with his performances, the Scouser also gained attention as a result of his activity away from the cage, including his habit of putting on significant weight between his fights.
Pimblett has long dismissed his weight gain as being something that would hamper him, but ex-bantamweight king TJ Dillashaw attempted to provide him a wake-up call almost 4 years before the upcoming UFC 324 title shot.
“They’ll promote him the precise way and he may need what it takes to get into the upper echelons of the UFC,” Dillashaw said on The Schaub Show.
“But in case you keep that very same work ethic he has now, then he’ll never be UFC champion.
“You possibly can’t have that down time like that, you’ll be able to’t get that fat and off form,” he continued. “It just proves the dedication that you must do what you do.
“I’m not attempting to clown on him but that’s something he’s going to must determine with age, right?
“He’s young and this can be a full-time job. This isn’t a job where you wish to be a fighter. You could have to be a fighter.”
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Paddy Pimblett gained 43 kilos the week after his UFC win over Michael Chandler
If Pimblett’s most up-to-date outing contained in the Octagon is anything to go by, the Scouser has not heeded Dillashaw’s advice.
After tearing through Michael Chandler in one-sided fashion at UFC 314, Pimblett revealed his drastic weight increase just days after the fight in Miami.
“This morning, I woke up at 198 kilos, which is fat,” Pimblett said on Bruce Buffer’s IT’S TIME YouTube podcast. “That’s in regards to the heaviest I get.”
Having weighed in at 155 kilos every week prior, that marked a shocking 43-pound weight increase for ‘The Baddy’. That would mean one other difficult cut when Pimblett arrives in Las Vegas to battle Gaethje in early 2026.
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The Scouser is yet to miss weight within the UFC, and he’ll look to proceed that trend before proving Dillashaw improper with a robust, title-winning performance at T-Mobile Arena.