Paddy Pimblett may have started 2026 on a down note, but he wants to end the year with a bang.
In January, Pimblett lost his interim lightweight title fight to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324. This weekend, Pimblett looks to rebound from his first UFC loss when he takes on Benoit Saint Denis in the co-main event of UFC 329. In the main event above him, Conor McGregor makes his long-awaited octagon return, rematching Max Hollowayin in McGregor’s first fight in five years, and should they both win, Pimblett thinks
a matchup with McGregor would make the most sense.
“The perfect fight for me would be Conor,” Pimblett said in a video posted to UFC Europe’s social media accounts.
“It’s mad, to be honest, because obviously, I won seven fights in a row, and I don’t think my stock went up as much as losing me last fight. I beat people like Michael Chandler, Bobby Green, Tony Ferguson, and people are just like, ‘Eh.’ Then I just got me head punched in for five rounds, and me stock went up. People are saying I lost, but I won, you know what I mean?”
Pimblett has been one of the most popular fighters in the UFC since making his promotional debut, and even drew comparisons to McGregor for his rabid fanbase. However, at UFC 329, even Pimblett knows he’s not the main character this weekend.
“Mad being on the same card as Conor McGregor,” Pimblett said. “The biggest name in the sport. 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.”
And if the stars align and both men win their fights? Pimblett thinks the best thing to do would be to take the two biggest names in the UFC and have them fight it out at the world’s most famous arena: Madison Square Garden.
“If McGregor wins and I win, I want to fight again before the end of the year,” Pimblett said. “I’ll fight him at welterweight in MSG. Something like that?
“We’ve got to let everything unfold. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Conor’s got to beat Max, I’ve got to beat BSD. Anything can happen, as we know. In fighting sports, one punch can change the whole realm of the game. The butterfly effect, it can change everything for every other opponent.”
