Paddy Pimblett lost at UFC 324, but who’s next for ‘The Baddy’? – MMASucka

UFC 324 ushered in the Paramount era for the UFC and Justin Gaethje and Paddy Pimblett put on a fight to remember. In what many are already calling a contender for fight of the year, Gaethje defeated Pimblett in a slobberknocker that pitted Forrest Griffin and Stephan Bonnar would have been proud.

You can check out our recap of UFC 324 here:

Although The Baddy did not get his hand raised, his share was certainly increased. He showed heart, grit and determination and many believe this cemented his place in the top five of the division.

Let’s see who could be next for Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett.

Paddy Pimblett vs…

Then Hooker

The most obvious fight would be Dan Hooker regardless of the outcome of the New Zealander’s fight against Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 325.

Pimblett and Hooker have heat. They exchanged nasty shots at each other on social media despite apparently being polite when they met in Qatar.

It would be a fun clash of styles, with Hooker preferring to stand and bang, working into the clinch and punishing his opponents in belligerent fashion. Pimblett, despite his UFC 324 showing, is a wrestler. He was largely defeated by Gaethje and many questioned his game plan, so expect him to return to his roots in his next fight.

Winner of the BMF fight

UFC 326 is headlined by BMF champion Max Holloway and former lightweight king and fan favorite Charles Oliveira. Both men have a fan-friendly style, are megastars and always put on fun fights.

TNT’s Adam Catterall called on Paddy Pimblett to face the winner of the upcoming BMF title fight in his UFC 324 main event.

Regardless of who wins, it would be a fun fight. Pimblett has a style that shouldn’t work. He fights with his chin in the air, his weight is all over the place and he doesn’t seem to stay still on his shots… but it works.

Oliveira is willing to take one to land one and is more than willing to mix it up on the floor. Holloway has looked great at lightweight and a win over Oliveira puts him right in the title picture. There might not be much appeal for a rematch between Holloway and Ilia Topuria, so he might need another big name on his list if he wins at UFC 325… and Paddy Pimblett could be that name.

Arman Tsarukyan

This is an interesting one. Logically, this makes the most sense. The man who just lost an interim title fight faces the man who many thought should have fought for the interim title.

Arman Tsarukyan is ranked No. 1 in the lightweight division and recently returned to the octagon in dominant fashion against Dan Hooker. There is a lot of tension between Tsarukyan and Pimblett, with the Armenian taking aim at Pimblett after his UFC 324 loss.

If the UFC wants to continue with the Paddy Pimblett train, they’ll keep him as far away from Tsarukyan as possible.

Tsarukyan is as versatile as they come, hits hard, has elite cardio and is hungry for success. He is a poor match for Pimblett and outclasses him in every aspect of MMA. If the UFC wants Pimblett to go 0-2 in his last two fights, book him against Tsarukyan.