‘The Baddy’ has called out four of the top lightweights in the world after his stunning knockout win over Chandler at UFC 314 in Miami on Saturday night
UFC lightweight star Paddy Pimblett has revealed his four-man hit list after he toppled former Bellator lightweight champion Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
Prior to the win in Miami, the Liverpudlian was last seen in action in Manchester last July at UFC 304 when he submitted King Green. Despite the dominant display on home soil, many still doubted Pimblett’s ability in the cage. When the chance to fight Chandler presented itself, the charismatic 30-year-old didn’t hesitate to grab it.
Dominating right from the get-go, Pimblett showed complete control with an aggressive stance, skilfully landing leg kicks and precise hits that caught the former Bellator lightweight champ off guard. He kept up his punishing pace without letting up.
Coming into his own in the third round, Pimblett secured a takedown and saw the perfect opportunity to wrap things up ahead of the championship rounds. A flurry of blows later, and the referee stepped in to stop the bout, leaving the audience in awe.
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Post-fight, Pimblett reflected: “Lad, literally everything I have worked with my team, all the fight run-throughs we’ve done, has just happened here.” After well and truly performing on the big stage, ‘The Baddy’ didn’t shy away from his ambitions, calling out some of the most formidable fighters in the lightweight division.
“This is how we win: we gameplan, we use our fight IQ, and we beat motherf*****s up,” he continued. “[I want] anyone in the top four, top five. I want that world title. Laugh all you want. What now? You gang of mushrooms. I want Dustin [Poirier], Justin [Gaethje], Charles [Oliveira] or the little posh boy Arman [Tsarukyan] – any of them four. I respect Dustin, Justin and Charles. Charles is the biggest legend out of them all, and he gets called the best submitting artist the UFC’s ever seen. Well, I dispute that, I’m here.”
Currently, none of the fighters mentioned are booked for a fight, so following Pimblett’s knockout performance, they’ll undoubtedly be on high alert. With ‘The Baddy’ seemingly just one step away from vying for the world title, there was a notable absence from his list – Islam Makhachev. Nevertheless, the Russian champ likely had his eyes glued to the event.
A showdown with Tsarukyan could be on the cards after the pare traded barbs ahead of UFC 314. Pimblett was quick to slam the top contender, insisting he was fit to compete for the title at UFC 311 before withdrawing from the clash with Makhachev. “The only person in the top 10 I can think of who’s under 35 is Arman Tsarukyan,” Pimblett said on the “Full Send Podcast.” “He’s just a little posh boy who’s had everything handed to him on a silver platter by his dad. No (he didn’t get injured), he’s a little b*tch ass. That’s what you are, Arman, little b*tch boy.”
“Dana shot him down in that interview. I was like, ‘Whoa, that’s heavy,’” Pimblett said. “You don’t want the boss saying that about you because he got asked is Arman still No. 1 and he was like, ‘No, he’s going to have to go back to the drawing board.’ … He decided he’s not going to fight. So basically, Arman, you sh*t your pants. You farted and followed through and had sh*t coming down your leg.”