Paddy Pimblett won’t fight again this year. The 31-year-old Liverpool lightweight said during an interview with iFL TV on Saturday night that he still has no idea when he’ll be booked, and that his next Octagon appearance will probably slip into 2027.
“It’ll probably be next year now, so I can get fat over Christmas,” Pimblett said, as reported by Bloody Elbow. He followed that with a plan anybody who has watched his fight week content could have predicted: “Loads of scran over the next couple of days and weeks.” Then, he said, comes Christmas dinner, and only after that a return to camp.
The update lands as a mild surprise only because Pimblett spent the back half of the summer loudly campaigning for a third fight in 2026. He asked for it repeatedly after UFC 329, the July card that also hosted Conor McGregor’s comeback. That request went nowhere, and with the calendar running out he’s now openly pointing at the new year.
How 2026 went
Pimblett’s year opened with a loss. Justin Gaethje outpointed him at UFC 324 in January in a fight that landed on plenty of Fight of the Year shortlists, and Gaethje now holds the 155-pound title. Pimblett answered in July by choking out Benoit Saint-Denis in 52 seconds at UFC 329, the kind of finish that resets a reputation in under a minute.
One decision loss and one first-round submission leaves him at No. 5 in the lightweight rankings, which is a useful spot and also a frustrating one. Bloody Elbow’s read is that he hasn’t done enough yet to earn a rematch with Gaethje, and the division isn’t exactly short on people standing in front of him.
Who’s next
Ilia Topuria and Arman Tsarukyan are both currently unbooked, and one of them is expected to get the next crack at Gaethje. Whichever of the two gets passed over looks like the most logical opponent for Pimblett. The fallback is the BMF belt: Charles Oliveira and Diego Lopes meet for that title at UFC 335 on December 12, and Pimblett could be lined up against the winner if the Topuria or Tsarukyan options fall apart.
My take: I don’t mind the layoff. I mind what the layoff could turn into. A 52-second choke of Saint-Denis tells you a lot about Pimblett’s back takes and his finishing instincts, and very little about how his gas tank holds up in Round 3 against an elite lightweight, which is the question the Gaethje fight raised in January. If he spends December eating like a man with no booking and then has to drag himself back to 155 for Tsarukyan, a wrestler who will make him carry weight for 15 minutes, I’ll be the first one grumbling about it at ringside. My pick for his next opponent is the Topuria and Tsarukyan loser in early 2027, and I’d rather it be Tsarukyan, because that’s the matchup that actually tests the grappling. Watch December 12 in the meantime, since the Oliveira and Lopes result could rearrange his options before Christmas dinner is even served.
