“The Baddy” already has future plans.
No. 5-ranked Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett headlines his first UFC event next weekend (Sat., Jan. 24, 2026) when he collides
with former interim champion Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 324, which goes down inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The winner of UFC 324’s main event is expected to unify the Lightweight title against reigning champion Ilia Topuria. However, Topuria is currently sidelined due to a messy divorce, which has forced him to step away from competition for the time being.
If Topuria is unable to return this summer, Pimblett says he would have no issue defending the interim title — including against No. 1-ranked Lightweight Arman Tsarukyan, who has been largely frozen out by the promotion.
“It’s annoying that people are saying I’m ducking Arman — I’ve never been offered to fight Arman,” Pimblett told reporters during a pre-fight scrum. “If I was ever offered that fight, I would’ve punched his head in by now. He irritates me. I think he’s an absolute helmet. So yeah, I’d fight Arman in a heartbeat.
“If Ilia can’t fight until June or July, he should be stripped because he’s holding the division up,” Pimblett added. “I’ll defend against Arman, Max, Charles — whoever. I don’t care.”
Unfortunately for Pimblett, even if he defeats Gaethje, the UFC has no plans to strip Topuria of his title. Instead, the promotion appears willing to give the champion as much time as needed to sort out his personal life.
A potential Pimblett vs. Tsarukyan matchup would be an explosive one, as the two have no love lost and have traded barbs for months. Still, all of that remains hypothetical — because standing in Pimblett’s way first is a highly motivated Gaethje.
