Paddy Pimblett has not entered the Octagon since defeating Michael Chandler in April, a victory that positioned him in the lightweight title conversation. However, the rising UFC star is growing impatient as he claims champion Ilia Topuria is refusing to finalize a fight contract.
“Right now I’m struggling to get a fight,” Pimblett explained in an interview with Marca. “People talk a lot behind the scenes saying: ‘I want to fight him, I want to fight him’, and then when it comes time for the fight, they don’t accept it. So I’m sitting in limbo waiting for the fight.”
Initially, Pimblett was set to face Justin Gaethje in a No. 1 contender matchup at UFC 321, but Gaethje’s insistence on a direct title shot left Pimblett without a fight.
“I thought I was going to fight Gaethje in Abu Dhabi in October, but he’s not going to be involved,” Pimblett said. “Dan Hooker is going to fight Arman Tsarukyan and Charles [Oliveira] just fought Gamrot. There’s no one else I can fight, apart from Ilia Topuria, so hopefully that fight will be sorted out.”
💥💥 “Iré al Bernabéu y le daré una paliza al falso aficionado del Madrid”
🗯️ “Se hizo famoso por mi nombre y ahora piensa que es demasiado bueno para pelear conmigo”🥊 Paddy Pimblett amenaza a Topuria en MARCA pic.twitter.com/rwy1c0WJl1
— MARCA (@marca) October 22, 2025
Pimblett Calls Out Topuria for Delaying Fight
Pimblett expressed frustration with the champion’s delay in signing:
“I think it would have been sorted out by now if he had signed the contract, but he’s stalling. He’s another one. He talks a lot behind the scenes, but when it comes to signing the contract, he doesn’t put his name on it.”
Topuria’s camp has indicated he may be preparing to face Gaethje for the first major event on Paramount+ in January. Despite this, Pimblett believes he is still a legitimate contender for the matchup.
“Yes, it’s the perfect time,” Pimblett argued. “When he moved up to lightweight, I said I should be the one to welcome him. I should have been in his first lightweight fight, but it never happened and he was gifted a title shot.”
Pimblett made it clear that personal animosity is a driving factor in his push for the fight.
“There are probably other people who deserve it more than me, but give me the title shot and we’ll do one of the biggest fights the UFC has ever seen. We don’t like each other. We really don’t like each other. It’s not an act. We both want to hurt each other and he has something I want. So I’ll make him suffer.”
