Paddy Pimblett aims big for 2026, Paddy Pimblett isn’t sitting still, as 2026 approaches, he’s laying out bold plans and they include chasing the top spot in the UFC lightweight division. After the UFC announced that Pimblett will fight Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324, Pimblett said he’s ready to go all the way for the undisputed belt.
Looking past Gaethje, Pimblett named Ilia Topuria as a main target and didn’t shy away from calling out Arman Tsarukyan too, using a bold tone as he talked about his ambitions. He called Tsarukyan “posh boy,” a dig meant to stir heat ahead of potential fights.
“Me and Gaethje now for the world title,” Gaethje said in a video posted by the UFC. “It’s interim, people are going to say, ‘Ah, it’s only interim,’ this and that, but I’m fighting for the world title. People said I’d never be ranked. People said I’d never do this, never do that. The goalposts always get moved with me. It’s normal. “Once I finish Gaethje, it’s going to be, ‘Oh, he was 37, he was retiring anyway, he’s on his way out, he’s being handed the title shot.’ All this bullshit, but when I first signed with the UF,C it was,
‘He’s going to get knocked out by [Luigi] Vendramini, oh he’s only beaten journeymen, Jared Gordon beat him, Jordan Leavitt’s going to submit him.’ Then it was, ‘Bobby Green’s going to knock him out,’ and ‘Michael Chandler’s going to knock him out.’ Now, it’s ‘Justin Gaethje’s going to knock him out.’ But once I beat him, it will be, ‘Oh, he was old,’ he’s this, he’s that. I’m used to it.
“People think I’m still the same fighter who came in and fought Vendramini back in September 2021, when I’m a whole different animal.” “First ever time I’ve fought in January,” Pimblett said. “Earliest I’ve ever fought. It’s going to ruin me Christmas dinner and me birthday, because I’m going to be 31 three weeks before it, but it’s all going to be worth it when I lift that world title above me head, and Paddy the Baddy is a world champion
“2026 is going to be the biggest year of me life. I am coming for that interim title, then I’ll be making it the undisputed title when I come and beat Ilia Topuria up and take the undisputed title. And little posh boy [Arman Tsarukyan] — if he manages to fight in that time, because he likes sitting out and saying he’s got a sore back — if little posh boy fights in that time and keeps his ranking, I’ll punch his head in as well.”
Pimblett sees the matchups as more than just title chances, but statement fights. He wants to silence critics who doubt his place among the elite. A win over Topuria or Tsarukyan would erase past controversy and emphasize that he belongs at the top of the lightweight division. Pimblett also notes that while many see Tsarukyan as the top contender (and the obvious next challenger), he isn’t afraid to shake up that ranking. He believes his style and hunger give him an edge.
As always, Paddy Pimblett is dreaming big and talking even bigger. But behind the confidence is a real opportunity: an interim title fight with Justin Gaethje, a possible showdown with Ilia Topuria, and even a heated clash with Arman Tsarukyan somewhere down the road. If Pimblett delivers in 2026, he won’t just be one of the UFC’s most talked-about fighters but he could become one of its most dangerous.
