Paddy Pimblett next fight: Who is 'The Baddy' likely to face next in the UFC?
After his impressive second-round submission victory against Jordan Leavitt, Paddy Pimblett now needs a new opponent for his next outing in the UFC. The Englishman doesn't currently have a fight booked, but many fighters within the 155lbs division are more than happy to face the Scouser.
One of the opponents keen to face 'The Baddy' is Terrance McKinney. The American just beat Erick Gonzalez at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Hill and is keen to face Pimblett in the near future. While speaking to the press after his victory against Gonzalez, McKinney stated:
"The fans will love it. I think it’s just about time for us to clash. It’s just a matter of time. Even if it’s not this year, it’s going to come. Me and Paddy will headline a [UFC show]. It’s going to be a sellout fight."
The UFC lightweight also mentioned 'The Baddy' during his post-fight interview with Michael Bisping:
"I wanna fight either on the October card with Charles Oliveira or at Madison Square Garden, Paddy 'The Baddy', where you at baby! The fans want it, let's get it!"
Watch the post-fight interview here:
Another logical opponent for Paddy Pimblett would be the unbeaten Ilia 'El Matador' Topuria. The two fighters have previously had 'beef' with an incident at a hotel in London turning into mainstream news. 'The Baddy' had thrown an object at Topuria after the 12-0 fighter aggressively approached him.
The confrontation had seemingly been brewing. Topuria brought out an old tweet from 'The Baddy', which seemed to show the Englishman disrespecting 'El Matador's' countrymen.
You think that’s funny?! In that attack by Russia against us, many innocent people lost their lives, including children! The one who supports terrorism and racism is one of them! This tweet will haunt you for life!@PaddyTheBaddy https://t.co/IxRvn6FkXK
However, a perfect setup bout for Paddy Pimblett if aiming to face Terrance McKinney would be Fares Ziam. The Frenchman most recently lost to McKinney via submission in round one but has beaten one of 'The Baddy's' former opponents, Luigi Vendramini.
While Ziam will likely be an easier bout than McKinney or Topuria, he could be a solid test for the Englishman and could perfectly set up a bout between 'The Baddy' and McKinney. The Frenchman has even called out Pimblett, meaning booking this fight should not be that difficult.
Who was the first fighter to beat Paddy Pimblett in professional MMA?
Despite currently being unbeaten in the UFC and eagerly hunting his next opponent within the organization, 'The Baddy' doesn't have a perfect record in professional MMA.
Pimblett currently has a record of 19 wins and three losses. His first defeat came against Cameron Else at Cage Warriors 60 in 2013, where the Liverpudlian lost via submission in the very first round. Else has fought in the UFC twice, losing both times and is currently 10-6 in professional MMA.
Paddy Pimblett's other two losses came against Nad Narimani and Soren Bak, both via decision. The Englishman hasn't lost since 2018 and is currently unbeaten in the UFC after facing Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas and Jordan Leavitt in his first three bouts.