Latest news with #Pimblett
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Paddy Pimblett rips Arman Tsarukyan, Dan Hooker; pushes for UFC title shot
Paddy Pimblett doesn't know who his next opponent will be, but hopes Arman Tsarukyan doesn't get a title shot against Ilia Topuria before he does. Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) has steadily climbed the ladder of the UFC's lightweight division since his arrival in 2021. He's undefeated in the promotion and has racked up five Performance of the Night-earning finishes. "The Baddy" recently passed arguably his toughest test to date by stopping Michael Chandler at UFC 314. He hopes his next outing will be for gold. "Hopefully, it is going to be me vs. the chorizo next," Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. "And I think that's what all the Americans want, because every American I bumped into keeps saying, 'When are you going to smash that sausage's head in?' I'm hoping that gets sorted, but I understand that I am like ranked nine or something. So, other people probably are more deserving, but 'posh boy' definitely isn't – little rich boy Arman." Tsarukyan (22-3 MA, 9-2 UFC) saw his opportunity to fight for the title get away from him at the last minute when he had to pull out of a championship bout against then-champ Islam Makhachev during UFC 311 fight week. Due to this, the current titleholder Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) has said he would rather vacate the title than give Tsarukyan a chance. Tsaruykan offered Topuria a $500,000 bet to entice him. "Spoiled rich baby trying to pay their way out of things," Pimblett said. "That's why he quit when he was making weight in a bath like a little b*tch. Arman's irrelevant. No one cares about him." Pimblett is well aware that, despite an intriguing faceoff inside the octagon with Topuria at UFC 317, he may not get the next title shot because he's too far down the rankings. The next likely option for Topuria is Justin Gaethje (26-5 MMA, 9-5 UFC), who currently sits at No. 5. The former interim champ would be a fresh matchup for Topuria, but it would be for Pimblett as well. "As I always say, I've got nothing but respect for Justin, but I keep seeing in interviews him saying he doesn't want to fight me," Pimblett said. "I think the only fight to make is me and Ilia." Sitting right behind Gaethje at No. 6 in the current UFC lightweight rankings is Dan Hooker, who has recently chirped about Pimblett. "Seen Dan Hooker talking sh*t the other day as well," Pimblett said. "I used to like Dan Hooker. Now, you can eat sh*t."
USA Today
01-08-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dan Hooker: UFC booking Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett would be an 'absolute piss take'
Dan Hooker thinks Paddy Pimblett getting the next UFC title shot would be ridiculous – but not surprising. UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) ruled out Arman Tsarukyan from the title conversation, and thinks he'll be offered either Pimblett (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) or Justin Gaethje for his first title defense. When Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound title at UFC 317, it was Pimblett who got to face off with him in the octagon, even though Gaethje and Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) were also in attendance. That's why Hooker wouldn't be surprised if Pimblett wound up getting the title shot. "The funny thing is, they might actually do Paddy, which is an absolute piss take where he fights (Michael) Chandler and then gets a title shot – is like an absolute piss take," Hooker told Sky Sports New Zealand. "But who cares, at the end of the day? He's not going to hold the belt for very long. If you were in Ilia's shoes, logically, he should be fighting Arman (Tsarukyan). But he's not going to because Arman's a really tough fight. "If I'm sitting there with the title, and I'm getting pay-per-view points and I have to fight Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje or Paddy Pimblett, I would take the hardest guy. But if you're smart, you take Paddy Pimblett. You're going to get the most money because there's a lot of animosity. You're going to get the most money and the worst fighter, so it's a win-win situation for Ilia Topuria." As for Hooker (24-12 MMA, 14-8 UFC), he's willing to take on Tsarukyan next – a fight he believes most of the top contenders don't want any part of.
USA Today
28-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Arman Tsarukyan: 'You gotta delete' Paddy Pimblett from UFC rankings
Paddy Pimblett shouldn't get the next title shot, or even be in the rankings, according to fellow UFC lightweight contender Arman Tsarukyan. After Ilia Topuria won the lightweight title by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) entered the cage for an intense faceoff. The interaction has led many to believe Pimblett will jump the queue in the lightweight division to get the next title shot, given the bad blood between him and Topuria. Tsarukyan (22-3 MMA, 9-2 UFC) believes the next shot is his, and doesn't believe the moment in the cage will change that. "Nobody said he's getting the title shot," Tsarukyan said on "Overdogs Podcast." "So, they are still figuring out who's fighting for the title – me, (Justin) Gaethje, or Paddy. But I know they got to put me because I'm the No. 1 contender right now." Tsarukyan is currently ranked No. 2 in the promotion's official lightweight rankings. The No. 1 spot is held by Islam Makhachev, who recently vacated the title and is expected to fight Jack Della Maddalena for the welterweight title soon. While making a case for his own shot at the title, Tsarukyan torched Pimblett's UFC resume and doesn't even view him as a top-ranked fighter. "You gotta delete him from the rankings, even," Tsarukyan said. "He's not even deserving to be in top 10." Tsarukyan went down the list of recent names that Pimblett has faced, criticizing the strength of schedule. "He beat the last three guys, it was (Michael) Chandler, he had three losses," Tsarukyan said. "It was Bobby Green, he had three, four losses. It was Tony Ferguson, he had eight losses. That's crazy, and like, you want to bring that guy and fight for the title? I don't know. You shouldn't even mention his name, you know? He doesn't even deserve even mentioning his name." Pimblett's last three opponents have a combined UFC record of 30-26-1, while Tsarukyan's last three, Charles Oliveira, Beneil Dariush, and Joaquim Silva, are 46-22-1. To Tsarukyan's point, Pimblett's recent opposition experienced rough stretches before he fought them. Chandler was 1-4 over his previous five, Green fared better at 3-2, but Ferguson was on a six-fight skid, which extended to eight before his exit from the UFC. Tsarukyan was set to challenge Islam Makhachev for the lightweight title at UFC 311 in January, but withdrew during fight week due to an injury. Topuria recently stated he would vacate the title before facing Tsarukyan.
USA Today
10-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paddy Pimblett uses Islam Makhachev as example to argue why he deserves UFC title shot
Paddy Pimblett explains why he deserves to challenge UFC lightweight champion llia Topuria. Pimblett (22-4 MMA, 7-0 UFC) is coming off a dominant TKO finish of former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314. Although higher-ranked Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan were also in attendance for UFC 317, it's Pimblett who was called into the octagon to face off Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC), who knocked out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant 155-pound belt. Pimblett thinks his resume warrants a title shot. He used Islam Makhachev and Charles Oliveira as examples to make his case. "To be honest, Arman's probably most deserving. But at the same time, is he? Because he split decisioned Charles in a fight a lot of people think Charles won," Pimblett told Sky Sports. "It just annoys me when people say I'm not deserving when Islam (Makhachev) got a title shot off beating Bobby Green, and I beat him faster. "Oliveira just got another title shot off beating Chandler, who he went to decision with and nearly got finished with, when I beat Chandler up for three rounds and beat him like no one else has beaten before. People just have a different opinion when it's me. When it's these other fighters, it's all right. 'Yeah, give them a title shot.'" Tsarukyan will likely have to get back to the UFC's good graces after pulling out of his title fight against Makhachev just a day before UFC 311. As for Gaethje, Pimblett doesn't see him in the title conversation after a rebound win over Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313. "People are saying Gaethje, when Gaethje just beat ranked (No.) 11 or 12 (Rafael Fiziev) then coming back off the Knockout of the Year against (Max) Holloway in a fight he lost," Pimblett said. "You can probably make arguments for several people, but the fact that me and Ilia have got history – I think apart from Ilia vs. Islam, pound-for-pound No. 1 vs. pound-for-pound No. 2, me vs. Ilia is the biggest fight the UFC can make, especially now that Jon Jones is retired and you can't do Aspinall vs. Jones."
USA Today
08-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Paddy Pimblett picks 'motivated' Max Holloway to beat Dustin Poirier at UFC 318
Paddy Pimblett thinks the moment could be too big for Dustin Poirier to handle at UFC 318. Poirier (30-9 MMA, 22-8 UFC) will make his final walk to the octagon in a trilogy bout against BMF champion Max Holloway (26-8 MMA, 22-8 UFC) on July 19 from Smoothie King Center in New Orleans (ESPN+ pay-per-view, ESPN, ESPN+). With Poirier retiring in his hometown and already having beaten Holloway twice, Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) sees "Blessed" with more to gain. "It would be heavy for Holloway if there's two different fighters who have beat him three times," Pimblett said on the "Verse Us Podcast" with Eric Nicksick. "I've seen him say something like, 'He took a lot from me, he gave me my first loss, and he took away my win streak, so I'm going to take his retirement fight.' "I think Holloway's motivated. I can see Holloway winning, to be honest. Don't know why. I think it's just one of them. Dustin fighting in his hometown, his last fight, everyone expects him to win, the pressure. I think he might (win). You might think it's a bit more favorable because he beat him twice, though." Pimblett is edging closer to title contention after a dominant finish of Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in April. He faced off with newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria immediately after the conclusion of the UFC 317 main event.
