Paddy Pimblett has officially arrived as a lightweight title contender.
UFC 314’s co-main event on Saturday featured a high-stakes lightweight clash between England’s Pimblett and perennial top contender Michael Chandler. Given 25 minutes to work, Pimblett needed less than three full rounds to finish the former three-time Bellator champion with savage ground-and-pound.
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Following his most significant and impressive win yet, Pimblett called his shot and targeted a top-five lightweight opponent next. Once backstage, however, it was three-time failed welterweight title challenger Colby Covington who came looking for a fight, interrupting Pimblett’s post-fight media rounds and causing a brief stir.
«Mr. Irrelevant, trying to stay relevant. The f***ing whopper,» Pimblett said of the incident at UFC 314’s post-fight press conference. «He just come over, started chatting s*** because he seen there was a camera. Come over, started to say, ‘Ah, you fight scrubs.’ He said something about Chandler being 2-4 or something. Isn’t he 2-4 in his last six? Something like that. He’s an absolute bum, lad. He’s nearly 40, trying to stay relevant by jumping on me while there’s a camera there. Just talking s***.
«I seen him at Power Slap the other week and walked past him. Stared at him and he just looked at the floor like the little p**** boy he is. When there’s a camera there, he tries to say something. But he got tethered. We all absolutely terrorized him.»
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Aside from being in a completely different weight class from Pimblett, Covington has also lost two straight and hasn’t won a fight since March 2022. He’s not on Pimblett’s radar, nor should he be.
Still, the interaction proved one of Pimblett’s pre-fight predictions true: He swore he’d still be met with detractors, no matter how flawless of a performance he had against Chandler. And that’s already coming to fruition.
«Every fight I have, the goal posts get moved,» Pimblett said. «It’s one of them. I’m used to it. I said it before the fight, ‘Once I beat him, people will be like, ah, he was 2-4 in the UFC, he’s washed, he’s 38.’ So they’ll probably say the same, but I don’t give a flying f***. I’m going to be ranked seven on Monday, so suck a d***.»
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Pimblett, 30, called for several fun potential matchups now he’s broken into the top 10, targeting Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan.
Any of those fights work for «The Baddy,» assuming he doesn’t jump right into a title shot next.
As for a more wildcard opportunity, he’d also be open to fighting one of his doubters at UFC 314: Conor McGregor, who publicly bet $500,000 on a Chandler knockout win.
«Anyone can get it. Even McGregor,» Pimblett said. «Putting money on Chandler to win, lad. The Irish-Scouse connection. He’s meant to back me and he never [does]. So if he wants it, he’ll get muffed ears as well.
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«I didn’t think he’d go against me, to be honest. I thought he’d back me, lad. Not back Chandler. One of them, innit? What happened there, lad? … If he ever wants to come back, I’ll be here waiting.»
One person who doesn’t doubt Pimblett is his boss, UFC CEO Dana White. After Pimblett’s thumping dominance over the always dangerous Chandler, White sang the Brit’s praises and promised he’s on an upward trend with his future matchmaking.
«People keep counting him out, but he keeps looking better and better and better every time he shows up,» White said. «Paddy Pimblett showed tonight that he is the real deal. Beating Michael Chandler, and beating him the way that he did, I don’t know how you can doubt the kid anymore.
«He’s in that spot now where he’s going to be fighting top guys.»
