Brendan Schaub explains why Paddy Pimblett should be booked against Justin Gaethje next over Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira
Brendan Schaub believes Paddy Pimblett should fight Justin Gaethje next following his breakout performance at UFC 314. According to Schaub, it's all about "strategic matchmaking," and Pimblett shouldn't be paired against the likes of Dustin Poirier or Charles Oliveira.
With Pimblett set to crack the lightweight top 10 after his win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314, Schaub argues the UFC must now choose between viable challenges and career trajectory. Poirier and Oliveira are dangerous, tested, and smart fighters who could stall Pimblett’s momentum.
Gaethje, despite his resume, is a more beatable matchup in Schaub’s eyes. His aggressive style and porous defense give Pimblett a shot to seal a victory against a big name in the division.
Speaking about Pimblett's path on his YouTube channel, Schaub said:
"I think if I'm the UFC, I'm strategically going to match up Paddy to have success. I'm not saying it's an easy fight. I love this guy [Justin Gaethje]. I've known this guy forever. This is no knock on him. I'm just saying, stylistically, out of the top three guys to get, and this is what we want, if I'm the UFC, this is what we want to do, we want to get Paddy to have enough credibility to fight for the title. We can't jump right to [Ilia] Topuria, it’s not happening. We can't jump right to Islam [Makhachev], it doesn't make f*cking sense. He just beat Chandler.”
He added:
“You do Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett in order to get him to the title shot to fight Topuria. Beating Topuria is a... We'll get there, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. It's a heavy ask. But out of the top three guys at 155, you have Poirier, Charles Oliveira, and Justin Gaethje. Poirier is a tough one. Charles Oliveira is a tough one. Can Paddy beat them? Yeah, he can. But it's tough, man. He’d be an underdog in both those.”
Check out Brendan Schaub's comments below (21:00):
Dustin Poirier weighs in on next fight for Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett called out the top contenders in the lightweight division after his win against Michael Chandler at UFC 314. The UK MMA star called out Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and even Charles Oliveira with the idea to determine the best submission artist in the division in a potential clash.
Poirier, who served as a desk analyst for UFC 314, was impressed by Pimblett's performance against Chandler. Speaking about Pimblett's next fight in an interview with MMA Junkie, Poirier said:
"His next fight has to be a really big one. Like a [Mateusz] Gamrot, Arman [Tsarukyan], [Charles] Oliveira... Behind the scenes, I’ve got stuff, so I can’t entertain that and I’m only fighting one more time, but for me as a fan, put him in there with Dan Hooker. That would be an incredible fight. That’s a fun fight. The build up is going to be fun. Dan is going to stand and trade with him. Dan has good takedown defense, on the ground. That’s the fight, I think.”
Check out Dustin Poirier's comments below (3:15):