Paddy Pimblett will be fighting for lightweight gold early next year, headlining UFC 324 in January.
That was kind of, sort of expected, given “The Baddy” has an intense, heated rivalry with 155lb champ Ilia Topuria. It’s not Topuria that Pimblett is fighting in barely two month’s time, however. Rather, with Topuria taking a break from fighting, it’s Justin Gaethje who Pimblett will face for an interim title. One that he plans on turning into undisputed gold soon enough.
Fighting in January for the first time, Pimblett notes that both Christmas dinner and his birthday will be spoiled with UFC 324 coming in January, but it will all be worth it when he claims UFC cold.
“2026 is gonna be the biggest year of my life. I’m coming for that interim title, then I’ll be making it the undisputed title when I come and beat Ilia Topuria up and take the undisputed title,” Pimblett said in a recent clip posted by the UFC’s social media channels. “And then little posh boy [Arman Tsarukyan], if he manages to fight in that time because he likes to sit out and say he’s got a sore back. If little posh boy fights in that time and keeps his ranking, I’ll punch his head in as well.”
Pimblett also recognizes that he will not get the respect he deserves fighting for just an interim belt.
“It’s an interim, people are going to say ‘ahh, it’s only interim,’ this and that. I’m fighting for a world title, lad. People said I’d never be ranked. People said I’d never do this, never do that. The goalposts always get moved for me, it’s just normal,” he stated. And the former Cage Warriors champ expects those excuses to keep on coming, diminishing his accomplishments in the sport.
“Once I finish Gaethje, it’s gonna be, ‘oh he was 37, he was retiring anyway, he’s on his way out. He’s being handed the title shot.’ All this bullsh*t. But when I first signed with the UFC, it was ‘he’s gonna get knocked out by [Luigi] Vendramini, oh he’s only beating journeymen. Jared Gordon beat him, Jared Leavitt’s gonna submit him.’ Then it was ‘Bobby Green’s gonna knock him out,’ then it was ‘Michael Chandler’s gonna knock him out.'”
“Now it’s ‘Justin Gaethje’s gonna knock him out.’ But then once I beat him, it will be ‘oh he was old, he’s this, he’s that.’ I’m used to it. People think I’m still the same fighter who came in and fought Vendramini, back in September 2021, when I’m a whole different animal.”
Pimblett is 7-0 since joining the UFC in 2021, and has become one of England’s biggest UFC stars, alongside heavyweight champ Tom Aspinall.
