Paddy Pimblett already has his sights set on a blockbuster showdown with Conor McGregor, but first, both men must take care of business at UFC 329.
McGregor returns to the Octagon this Saturday for the first time in five years when he faces Max Holloway in the main event of UFC 329. The highly anticipated rematch marks one of the biggest comeback stories in UFC history, with McGregor looking to prove he still belongs among the sport’s elite.
Meanwhile, Paddy Pimblett will compete in the co-main event against Benoit Saint-Denis as he looks to bounce back from the first loss of his UFC career.
Earlier this year, Pimblett came up short against Justin Gaethje in an interim lightweight title fight. Despite the setback, the Liverpool native believes his stock has risen, and he now sees a potential clash with McGregor as the ideal next step if both fighters emerge victorious this weekend.
Speaking to UFC Europe, Paddy Pimblett revealed that a fight against McGregor tops his wishlist.
“The perfect fight for me would be Conor,” Pimblett said.
The Englishman admitted that the reaction to his loss against Gaethje surprised him, especially considering the momentum he built during his seven-fight winning streak.
“It’s mad, to be honest, because I won seven fights in a row and I don’t think my stock went up as much as losing my last fight,” Pimblett said.
“I beat people like Michael Chandler, Bobby Green and Tony Ferguson, and people were just like, ‘Meh.’ Then I just half got my head punched in for five rounds and my stock went up. People are saying I lost, but I won, do you know what I mean?”
Despite the positive response from fans, Pimblett remains honest about the result.
“In my eyes, I lost. There are no two ways about it. But my stock went up because I had a five-round war with a legend.”
The former Cage Warriors star has made no secret of his desire to run things back with Gaethje one day. However, before thinking about another title run, he believes a fight with McGregor would be one of the biggest bouts the UFC could make.
“I want that back. I want to fight him again before he retires. Time to get back in the win column.”
Pimblett also acknowledged the magnitude of sharing a card with one of the biggest names in combat sports history.
“Mad being on the same card as Conor McGregor. The biggest name in the sport,” he said.“It’s nice for him to be back. This is probably going to be the most-watched UFC of all time. I’m not going to be the star of the show on this one. Definitely not. Conor is. But I’ll probably be the second star of the show.”
If both fighters secure victories at UFC 329, Paddy Pimblett already has a venue and timeline in mind for a potential showdown.
“If McGregor wins and I win, I want to fight again before the end of the year,” Pimblett said.“I’d fight him at welterweight at the end of the year in Madison Square Garden. We’ve got to let everything unfold.”
“You don’t know what’s going to happen. Conor’s got to beat Max, and I’ve got to beat BSD. Anything can happen, as we know.”
“In fighting sports, one punch can change everything. The butterfly effect can change everything for every other opponent.”
Interestingly, Pimblett’s stance on McGregor has evolved over the years. More than a decade ago, before joining the UFC, he famously claimed he would “smoke” the Irishman and predicted José Aldo would defeat him.
Today, however, Paddy Pimblett is backing McGregor to pull off an upset against Holloway. The 31-year-old believes the former two-division champion still has enough left in the tank to remind the world why he became the biggest star the sport has ever seen.
