Paddy Pimblett knows that one victory may not be enough to earn another crack at UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.
After suffering the first defeat of his UFC career in a unanimous decision loss to Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) at UFC 324 in January, Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is set to return to action against Benoit Saint-Denis (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on July 11. While a win would put "The Baddy" back in the title conversation, he admits there are several contenders ahead of him in the crowded 155-pound division.
Speaking in a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, Pimblett assessed the current title picture following Gaethje's knockout victory over Ilia Topuria to become the undisputed lightweight champion at UFC Freedom 250.
With Arman Tsarukyan and former champion Charles Oliveira both in the mix, Pimblett believes he's unlikely to secure an immediate rematch with the reigning champion.
“To be honest, after the weekend, I don’t think it’s a number one contender fight,” Pimblett said. “I think Arman’s probably still the number one contender, but Justin has said himself that Charles has beat him before so he’d like to fight Charles again. Charles could end up getting the title shot.”
Pimblett also sees another high-profile matchup that makes sense for the division, suggesting Tsarukyan should finally meet Topuria after years of back-and-forth between the two.
“Perfect time to make Ilia vs. Arman because Arman’s been calling Ilia out for years.”
Despite having his sights set on avenging his loss to Gaethje, Pimblett acknowledged that he hasn't done enough to justify demanding another title opportunity.
“But there’s so many different variables in the lightweight division now, you don’t know. I’d love to beat BSD and get a rematch with Justin, but I can’t really demand that after a one-fight win streak so we’ll just have to see what happens over the coming months.”
The Liverpool native faces a pivotal moment in his career when he meets Saint-Denis at UFC 329. A victory over the dangerous French contender would put him back among the lightweight elite, but Pimblett is realistic about the road ahead, recognizing that another impressive performance—or perhaps more than one—may be required before he gets another chance at UFC gold.
