Paddy Pimblett reveals the former UFC champion he wants to fight to earn a shot at the lightweight belt

Paddy Pimblett is desperate to cross paths with a UFC legend en route to squaring off with Islam Makhachev for lightweight gold.

Following a massive victory at UFC 304, the Liverpudlian has earned a #15 ranking in the 155-pound division.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesPaddy Pimblett targets fight with Charles OliveiraOn July 27, in front of a packed house at the Co-op Live in Manchester, UK, Paddy Pimblett produced a sublime performance, submitting King Green with a triangle choke to cement his status as a genuine contender at lightweight.

While many fans believed he’d never secure a spot in the top 15, they’re now coming to terms with the fact that a shot at Islam Makhachev isn’t beyond the realms of possibility.

Granted, while the Russian is levels above anyone Pimblett has ever faced before, the road towards sharing the octagon with him isn’t unclear.

There are several names floating around the Liverpudlian’s head, including Dan Hooker, who’s coming off a big win himself against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 305.

Sheesh: Frank Mir reveals the hardest puncher he’s ever faced, and it’s not Brock Lesnar

Pimblett told The Action Network: “I’ll let everyone else talk about that. I’ll just keep fighting and winning. If I get offered Dan Hooker, I’ll take it. Jump right up to rank 5, and then it probably will be a title eliminator next.

“So, yeah, I’m game for any of them. As I say, any name gets sent to me; that’s all sound. I’m not shying away from fighting anyone.”

He later explained that he wouldn’t mind following a similar path to Sean O’Malley, who beat Pedro Munhoz, before leaping up the rankings for a match-up with Petr Yan.

In this instance, Pimblett proclaimed that should he do the same, he’d love the opportunity to go head-to-head with Charles Oliveira.

He exclaimed: “I was thinking the other week, that the perfect route to the title would be Renato Moicano and then Charles Oliveira or something, who’s ranked two.

“That’s what O’Malley done. He went from ranked 11 to rank 1.”

Paddy Pimblett wants a similar route to the title as Sean O’Malley:

“The perfect route to the title would have been [Renato] Moicano and then Charles Oliveira. He’s like rank #2.

That’s what [Sean] O’Malley did. O’Malley went from like rank #11 to rank #1 or something.”

🎥 YT… pic.twitter.com/FyHsegJ7Yy

— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS) September 2, 2024 View Tweet

Paddy Pimblett reveals he gained an enormous amount of weight after UFC 304While the Scouser is extremely excited to get back in the cage and earn his opportunity at the title, he has a long way to go before he returns to competition.

After his victory over Green, Pimblett treated himself to some sweet treats, joyfully eating the type of food he couldn’t during training camp.

However, while tasty, this had a huge impact on his physique, with the fighter piling on the pounds.

In a recent video, he revealed just how much weight he’d put on.

OH NO: Khabib Nurmagomedov shares picture of black eye as he jokes he’s past his prime