Paddy Pimblett seems to believe he could get the next crack at UFC lightweight gold.
Ilia Topuria captured the title by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in June.
Post-fight, ‘The Baddy’ hopped in the cage for a fiery face-off with the new 155lb king.
It was a continuation of their long-time beef, which became public knowledge when they traded blows at a London hotel in March 2023.
Paddy Pimblett sends message to Ilia Topuria
Paddy Pimblett is ranked at #9 at lightweight after a career-best TKO win over Michael Chandler in April.
Usually, he would need another win or two before being considered for a shot at MMA’s ultimate prize.
However, Pimblett’s star power, combined with his history with the champion, has propelled him into title contention sooner than expected.
As far as he is concerned, it’s now just a matter of waiting for a call from the UFC bosses to make things official.
“Just waiting on that [phone call],” Pimblett wrote alongside a picture from his last fight on Instagram.
“El chorizo I’m coming for youuuuu.”
Who else could Ilia Topuria fight?
Arman Tsarukyan should be next for Topuria as the number one UFC contender at lightweight.
However, the Armenian is in Dana White‘s bad books after pulling out of a UFC 311 title fight against Islam Makhachev at the very last minute.
It’s currently unclear if Tsarukyan has done enough to redeem himself after weighing in as the backup fighter for UFC 317.
Former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is the other option for Topuria’s next fight.
Ranked at #5, ‘The Highlight’ certainly has a strong case if they opt against making Topuria vs. Tsarukyan.
Gaethje has threatened to retire from MMA if he isn’t given the next shot at the 155lb belt.
Threats and demands don’t usually go down well with the UFC, but only time will tell if they have helped Gaethje’s case.
