Paddy Pimblett says losing to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 felt different from the losses that came before it. Yahoo Sports reported that the British lightweight described a much calmer reaction this time, summed up in four words: “I didn’t even cry.”
That’s a striking admission from a fighter who has never hidden his emotions, in the cage or on the mic. It also reads like a man who has already filed the Gaethje fight away and is looking at the next name on the list.
That name, apparently, is Ilia Topuria. In an interview with All Out Fighting, Pimblett argued that Topuria’s own loss to Gaethje has cracked something that won’t be repaired.
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“He’s never lost before, so I don’t think he’ll ever be the same when he comes back,” Pimblett said. In his view, Topuria’s “whole aura was unbeatable and this and that. Now he’s being beat. That’s in his head. And I’ll prove that if I end up fighting him next.”
He didn’t stop at the psychology. “He’s a very good fighter, but he’s never fought anyone like me. You know what I mean? I’m too big and too long for him. And I’ll show him that when I fight him, when I beat him up.”
That last line about proving it was conditional for a reason. No Pimblett vs. Topuria fight has been announced, and Pimblett framed it as a possibility rather than a booking.
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Where lightweight stands
Gaethje holds the belt that everyone at 155 pounds is circling, and the division’s picture right now is a waiting game. MMA Fighting reported that Gaethje will not defend the title in 2026, and there’s a chance he retires without defending it at all.
That hasn’t stopped the line from forming. Alexander Volkanovski pitched a champion-versus-champion exit on the WhoTheFook podcast: “Let’s do a superfight, lightweight title on the line and then we can both [retire]. Then, straight after that, let the division sort themselves out. Let’s make that happen.”
Diego Lopes, who challenges Charles Oliveira for the BMF belt at UFC 335 in Las Vegas on Dec. 12, told MMA Fighting he’d love a crack at Gaethje too. Lopes pointed out that Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan and Topuria all present problems for the champion, and pitched himself as a matchup the UFC might find convenient for Gaethje.
So Pimblett, coming off the loss, is staking his claim on Topuria rather than the belt. Smart. If Gaethje sits out 2026 or walks away, a win over a former unbeaten star is about the loudest résumé line available.
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The All Out Fighting sit-down wasn’t all lightweight business, either. Asked about Dana White and Eddie Hearn floating a fight between themselves, Pimblett called it “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life” and added, “It’s like the daftest thing I’ve ever heard.” He also picked Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury on Dec. 11.
Quick take
I love the honesty, and I’m also chuckling at the logic. Pimblett is telling us his loss to Gaethje rolled off him without a tear, while insisting Topuria’s loss to the same man has burrowed permanently into Topuria’s skull. Both of those can be true, sure. But the guy who says a defeat didn’t rattle him while betting everything on a rival’s defeat rattling him is setting up a fight that will expose one of those claims as wrong. I’d watch that. Until something gets booked, the next lightweight headliner on the calendar is Lopes vs. Oliveira on Dec. 12, and Pimblett will be watching it from the outside.
