Dana White likes the idea of a Paddy Pimblett vs. Ilia Topuria season of The Ultimate Fighter.
That doesn’t mean the idea, suggested by Pimblett last week, will go ahead. The UFC boss said there was a lot of moving parts involved that could affect the idea positively or negatively. He touched on the suggestion during the UFC 332 post-fight press conference.
“I mean, I love the idea of that,” White said. “But a lot of things determine how things play out. Not just for TUF, but for certain fights and
title fights, we’ll see how the timing works out.”
White is pretty disconnected from UFC matchmaking these days as he focuses on making Zuffa Boxing a financial success. Hunter Campbell is the man now who would be dealing with Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria … and Justin Gaethje, who holds the lightweight title and is the linchpin that decides what happens next at 155 pounds.
In a fair and just world, No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan would fight Gaethje for the title next. But multiple reports have the UFC considering an immediate rematch between Gaethje and Topuria, based largely on a) the first fight being the biggest fight of the year b) how awesome it would be to see a second fight.
If the UFC goes for Arman vs. Justin, a season of The Ultimate Fighter could be just what Paddy and Ilia need to occupy themselves with in the meantime. But would the UFC be willing to pay to make it happen?
There’s a reason Jon Jones and Daniel Cormier ended up coaching opposite each other on a strange Russian TUF clone rather than the actual Ultimate Fighter. The UFC has never been willing to splash TUF coaches with cash to compensate them for their time and the value they bring to the programming.
So if you’re hoping the UFC doesn’t make us wait several months for a Pimblett vs. Topuria TUF season, the promotion’s cheapskate behaviors may actually work in your favor this time.
