MIAMI – Paddy Pimblett made a strong impression with his performance at UFC 314 on Saturday, followed by a flurry of callouts during his post-fight interview.
He named four potential opponents: Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Arman Tsarukyan. But noticeably absent from the list was Ilia Topuria.
Why was Topuria left out?
“To be honest, I forgot about him,” Pimblett said with a laugh at the post-fight press conference. “If I’d remembered, I’d have name-dropped him in the cage. I don’t even call him ‘Hand Sanitizer Boy’ anymore. But honestly, I just forgot he existed. That’s how irrelevant he is to me. I’m already ranked higher than him at lightweight, so I’d be happy to welcome him to the division.”
Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) and Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) share a tense history that began with a hotel scuffle in March 2022 and continued with verbal jabs online.
Pimblett secured the biggest win of his career at the Kaseya Center, finishing Michael Chandler. He believes that the strategy he used against Chandler would be just as effective against Topuria.
“Word is he’s sitting out, waiting on a title shot,” Pimblett said. “But what I did to Chandler is part of the formula to beat him. He’s even shorter than Chandler. I’d handle him the same way. Like I said, anyone can get it—the guys I called out, even McGregor. Imagine putting money on Chandler to beat me, lad? The Irish-Scouse bond’s supposed to be strong, but he never backs me.”
One way or another, Pimblett has his sights set on the title. He’s aiming for one more high-stakes fight before challenging for gold. His goal? A championship belt by 2026.
“I want to be a world champion,” Pimblett declared. “I’ve always said that. Beating someone like Charles Oliveira, who defended his title twice and is hailed as the division’s best submission artist—that would be huge. I think my submission game is stronger than his. … I f*cking hope so. 2026, that belt’s going around my waist.”
