Paddy Pimblett is gearing up for a UFC lightweight title in 2025.
'The Baddy reached the top 15 by knocking out Bobby Green at UFC 304 in July, and now Chael Sonnen believes two more wins will be enough to give him a shot at Islam Makhachev's title.
Paddy Pimblett recently teased fight news and sent fans into a frenzy when he suggested Michael Chandler would be his next opponent using the American's signature catchphrase 'See you at the top'.
The man Pimblett really wants to face, Renato Moicano, recently named one of his former opponents as the 6-0 UFC prospect's next opponent.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Renato Moicano reveals Paddy Pimblett's next opponent
Pimblett called for a fight with Moicano before the streaking Brazilian contender was booked for Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 on Jan. 18.
A win over Dariush would put 'Money' on the brink of a title shot, which he believes he can secure by taking the BMF title from Max Holloway after winning Dana White's first pay-per-view show of the year.
Still, he would be willing to drop the rankings for a fan-friendly showdown with the highly popular Pimblett.
“I will do whatever the UFC wants,” Moicano told MMA Fighting.
“If the UFC wants me to break his face, it's going to be easy money. If not, I'll move on and fight someone else in the top five or for the title.
“Like I said, the title is good, but I want to build a brand. I want to build something bigger. A name, a persona, call it whatever you call it so that when I'm done I can benefit from that.
“Like it or not, Paddy has a huge audience and he has a big name. That would be very good for my career, so I would never say no.”
Moicano believes the Pimbeltt hype train will be derailed very soon.
The 35-year-old has heard a rumor about who the Englishman will fight next, and it's not Chandler.
Moicano added: “I think Paddy will fight Benoit Saint-Denis, that's what I heard, and I think Benoit Saint Denis will beat his opponent. Then the hype is over. That's what I feel.
“Benoit Saint-Denis, people were hyping him a lot, but after two defeats he was a bit done. People think he's going to lose to Paddy. I don't think so [that] but it's just how MMA is. It's just how it works. It's all about the hype.”
Who is Benoit Saint-Denis?
Benoit Saint-Denis is the #12 ranked lightweight in the UFC.
The French knockout artist joined MMA's premier promotion in 2021, losing his promotional debut against welterweight fighter Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
He then dropped down a division and snapped a five-match win streak by knocking out Matt Frevola, Thiago Moises and Gabriel Miranda.
Saint-Denis also knocked out Ismael Bonfim and Niklas Stolze during the incredible run that earned him a huge fight against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
'The Diamond' knocked him out inside two rounds when they met at UFC 299 in March before Moicano overcame a horror injury to beat Saint-Denis inside eight minutes six months later.
Pimblett is a big-name opponent who could help Saint-Denis get his career back on track.
Only time will tell if Moicano's prediction about Pimblett vs Saint-Denis comes true, or if the UFC decides to go a different direction with the lightweight duo.
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