Paddy
Pimblett plans on chasing a big payday if he wins a
UFC title.
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The Liverpudlian, who faces Michael
Chandler at UFC
314, is targeting a Top 5 opponent next and hopes to earn a
title shot with a win. Pimblett would then like to defend his title
against Conor
McGregor in front of his home fans at the Anfield Stadium, home
of the Liverpool football club.
However, Pimblett also has his eyes on a latest addition to the
lightweight roster, Ilia
Topuria. Pimblett called Topuria “hand sanitizer boy,”
referring to the their altercation ahead of UFC London in 2022.
“My plan is to fight with Top 5 opponents, then fight for the belt…
And then my first title defense could be Conor
McGregor in Anfield,” Pimblett told Shakiel Mahjouri. “That is
perfect because that’s where the money is… But obviously I want to
batter hand sanitizer boy. I want to show him how small he is and
show him that he’s got little man syndrome.”
Pimblett and Topuria got into a
heated altercation in 2022 over the Englishman’s comments on
Georgia. Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at the
Georgian-Spaniard before security intervened. The two have since
traded several barbs over the years. Chances of matchup between the
two have now increased, as “El Matador” recently announced a move
to lightweight after defending his featherweight title only
once.
Meanwhile, McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021 and has dropped three
of his last four. While he has teased a return to the Octagon on
several occasions, “Notorious” pulled out of a proposed booking
against Chandler at UFC 303 and has been dealing with legal issues
outside of the cage in recent months.