Paddy Pimblett doesn’t have a date, an opponent, or a signed contract. talkSPORT reported Wednesday that the Liverpool lightweight is nowhere near announcing his next UFC fight, though he does have an ideal return window in mind. He also has a very clear idea of who he wants on the other side of the cage, and he’s been loud about it.
That target is Ilia Topuria. In an interview with All Out Fighting, clips of which circulated on X, Pimblett argued that Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje has changed him for good.
“He’s never lost before, so I don’t think he’ll ever be the same when he comes back,” Pimblett said.
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He described the loss as a crack in Topuria’s armor, the end of the idea that he couldn’t be beaten.
“His whole aura was unbeatable and this and that. Now he’s being beat. That’s in his head.”
Then came the part fight fans will clip and repost for weeks.
“I’m too big and too long for him,” Pimblett said. “And I’ll show him that when I fight him, when I beat him up.”
He framed it as something he’d settle in person if the matchup comes together next.
“And I’ll prove that if I end up fighting him next.”
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The Big Lead also picked up the interview, reporting that Pimblett gave an update on his return while keeping his eyes on Topuria. Nothing in the reporting suggests the UFC has offered that fight or that Topuria’s camp has engaged with the idea.
Where the division sits
Gaethje holds the lightweight title. In the UFC Meta Rankings updated after UFC Vegas 122, Topuria sits at No. 1, followed by Arman Tsarukyan at No. 2, Charles Oliveira at No. 3, and Max Holloway at No. 4. Pimblett is No. 5, one spot ahead of Quillan Salkilld. So the callout is a man ranked fifth pointing straight at the top contender, which is exactly how you’d build a case for skipping the line.
Pimblett had plenty to say during that same All Out Fighting sit-down. He laughed off the floated idea of Dana White fighting Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn, calling it “the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life,” per MMA Fighting. He also picked Anthony Joshua to beat Tyson Fury when they meet on Dec. 11, pointing to Fury’s long time away from the sport.
My take: the aura argument holds up better than it sounds. An undefeated fighter’s first loss can rattle him, and Pimblett is smart to sell that as a story before negotiations get serious. But a Topuria coming off a defeat could just as easily show up angrier and sharper, and Pimblett would be walking into that version of him in a fight he picked himself. With nothing close to booked yet, the smartest thing he’s done this week is put Topuria’s name in every headline about his return.
