Paddy Pimblett seems to have made up his mind on who he wants to fight next. In recent times, Pimblett is having the best time of his life in the UFC. Going undefeated until now, he threatens to be a menace in the lightweight division. Facing Michael Chandler recently, Pimblett put on an impeccable show to topple ‘Iron’. With that, the speculations about Pimblett possibly getting a title shot have been swirling. And en route to glory, Pimblett has dropped the name of his next opponent. And it’s not Arman Tsarukyan.
After his emphatic win against Chandler, it was expected that the English fighter would fight Tsarukyan. However, in a recent interview with BBC Sport, Pimblett stated that he does not want to fight with Tsarukyan. Despite praising the Armenian’s fighting style, Pimblett stated that he wanted to take on Justin Gaethje.
“I’m hoping to fight in Abu Dhabi in October… I’d love to fight [Ilia] anyway but he’s booked, so I think it’s more than likely Justin Gaethje. No one [cares] about Arman Tsarukyan and people actually want to watch Gaethje fight. People know it’ll be an exciting fight, me versus Gaethje,” said Pimblett.
🚨 Paddy Pimblett isn't interested in fighting Arman Tsarukyan, and wants Justin Gaethje next in October
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) May 29, 2025
"I'm hoping to fight in Abu Dhabi in October… I'd love to fight [Ilia] anyway but he's booked, so I think it's more than likely Justin Gaethje.
No one [cares] about Arman… pic.twitter.com/uXdE5jJOwC
Pimblett also pointed out that he could be very close to getting a title shot. Perhaps a dominant win against Gaethje and his dreams would come true. Meanwhile, giving the flowers to Paddy Pimblett, UFC veteran Chael Sonnen labeled him as UFC’s ‘Next Big Star.’
Chael Sonnen Puts Paddy Pimblett Ahead Of Ilia Topuria And Islam Makhachev
Paddy Pimblett has been rising to the top rapidly. And coupled with his fabulous in-octagon performance is his trash-talking. Combining all of these, Chael Sonnen pointed out that he might be the next big star that the UFC needs. One of the biggest reasons for his conclusion was the manner in which Pimblett was able to engage the audience.
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“You wanna talk about who’s the next big star—is it Ilia, Islam, Pereira? To have audience interaction is a nearly impossible thing to do. That is something that Michael Jackson could do. That is something that The Rock could do. When Paddy is doing his thing, the audience is singing his god-awful song out loud,” said Sonnen.
Chael Sonnen picks Paddy Pimblett over Ilia Topuria, Islam Makhachev, and Alex Pereira as the UFC’s next big star. 💫🇬🇧
— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 25, 2025
"You wanna talk about who's the next big star—is it Ilia, Islam, Pereira? To have audience interaction is a nearly impossible thing to do. That is something… pic.twitter.com/LUix8rWPJ4
Thus, with things looking rosy for Paddy Pimblett, it remains to be seen what happens next.
Also Read: Paddy Pimblett & Colby Covington Went At It During Intense Backstage Clash At UFC 314
