Paddy Pimblett is locking in on Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329, but he already has a clear idea of what might come next if he gets his hand raised on July 11.
Pimblett is set for the co-main event slot against Saint Denis and, despite fan chatter, he does not expect Ilia Topuria to be his immediate reward with a win. "Everyone keeps saying, ‘Fight Ilia next,’" Pimblett said, before pointing to timing as a major obstacle. "That man’s face is mashed up. He’s not coming back before the end of the year and I’d like to fight again before the end of the year."
Pimblett, who dropped a decision to Justin Gaethje in an interim UFC lightweight title fight in January, is realistic about what it will take to earn another crack at him. "Obviously, I’d love that rematch. I’d love to fight Justin again," he said. "I know I’ve got to work my way back to that. I can’t just beat ‘BSD’ and be like yeah, I’m next against Gaethje. I know that I’m probably going to have to beat BSD and then beat someone else."
There’s no bad blood from Pimblett toward Gaethje after their first meeting. "I’ve got no animosity towards Justin Gaethje," he said. "He beat me. Better man won on the night. I think it was fate for him to beat me so he that could beat Ilia on the White House lawn and be the American in the main event who wins the title. I just think it was destiny."
