UFC star Paddy Pimblett challenged to summer fight by No. 1 contender: ‘It makes sense’

Paddy Pimblett might have found the dance partner for his next UFC fight.

Liverpool’s Pimblett, a former Cage Warriors champ, has been extremely impressive since joining the UFC, winning seven straight fights. In his last fight, a lopsided TKO win over former Bellator champ Michael Chandler, he evolved from prospect into legitimate lightweight contender.

Now ranked No. 8 at lightweight, Pimblett is awaiting his next opponent. He’s one of the most popular fighters in the UFC right now, so he certainly has options. It’s hard to imagine a better option than Arman Tsarukyan.

Tsarukyan seems to be on the UFC’s naughty list right now, having bailed on a January title fight with Islam Makhachev at the very last minute. However, he is still the No. 1-ranked fighter in the promotion’s rankings.

Despite being ranked ahead of Pimblett by some distance, he recently told Red Corner MMA that he’d be willing to fight the Brit this summer.

“Fighting Paddy makes sense, I need to get more UK fans”: @ArmanUFC Tsarukyan says he likes the idea of fighting @PaddyTheBaddy Pimblett if it happens this summer. pic.twitter.com/EklIHbqeGx

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) May 22, 2025

“He looked pretty good in his last fight,” Tsarukyan said. “Now we can say he can beat top-10 fighters. He’s No. 8 or something.

“Maybe he wants to fight at the end of this year, but I want to fight this summer and the end of this year,” he added. “I’ll take [this summer] that because he has a big name, he just beat Michael Chandler, and he has a six or seven [fight] win streak. He’s never lost in the UFC. It makes sense to get back and to get more fans from the UK.”

Does a Arman Tsarukyan vs. Paddy Pimblett fight make sense for the UFC lightweight division?

Paddy Pimblett would probably jump at the chance to fight Arman Tsarukyan. If he beats the No. 1 contender, there’s a good chance a title shot would be next. However, it doesn’t seem like this fight was on the Brit’s radar.

In a recent interview, Pimblett outlined his ideal two-fight path to the UFC lightweight title, and it didn’t include Tsarukyan.

The lightweight title will next be up for grabs when Charles Oliveira takes on former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria at UFC 317 next month. The winner will replace Makhachev, who recently vacated the throne to move up to welterweight.

Do you think Pimblett and Tsarukyan should fight to see who challenges the new champ?