Not everyone is on board with Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett that is next.
Closed mouths are not fed. Although he is ranked in the lightweight division on #9, Paddy Pimblett has made it clear that he wants a crack with the newly crowned champion Ilia Topuria.
Pimblett earned a place in the top 10 after he formerly Bellator champion Michael Chandler on UFC 314 in April.
Paddy 'The Baddy' was brutally honest after his last call-out of Topuria, and added that other contenders 'deserved more' from the title option than he is.
The first lightweight title defense of Topuria can be made against the #1-ranged Arman Tsarukyan, Justin Gaethje or Pimblett-where one UFC star is not a fan of for an important reason.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Al Iaquinta hopes that Paddy Pimblett will not get a title shot from 'favorable matchups'
Pimblett has a perfect 7-0 record in the Octagon.
The 30-year-old has victories over Chandler, King Green and former interim champion Tony Ferguson, with all three hunters on a combined 13-fighter losing skid from this letter.
Pimblett was confronted with Topuria in the Octagon Na UFC 317.
When asked who should get the next UFC title shot against Topuria, former top five lightweight Al IAquinta voted that it cannot be Pimblett.
“I hope they don't give it to Paddy,” Iaquinta told Bloody Elbow.
“They can't give it to Paddy …
“I don't think he fought against boys' caliber,” Iaquinta said about Pimblett.
“They certainly gave him the favorable matchups. I think the last three opponents are he [fought] are on like a 10-fight losing streak …
“But there is bad blood,” Iaquinta said about the rivalry of Pimblett with Topuria.
“They have the bad blood. Bad blood is going a long way. Selling pay-per-views, at the end of the day, that is all that the UFC really cares about. It's not about who deserves it, but more that the more pay-per-views can sell.
“Paddy is perhaps the man. You go the line, you go straight to the title shot, you might be able to get it done. I think many of the heavy fights are those such as the quarter[finals] And the semi -finals prior to the final. I feel that he skipped it a little because he fought against boys who look a bit on the way out, a little losing series … “
Al Iaquinta thinks there is a 'good indication', Arman Tsarukyan is the following for Ilia Topuria
#1 Candidate Arman Tsarukyan still has to take on a title fight.
Tsarukyan is 9-1 in the lightweight division since losing his debut at Islam Makhachev. Tsarukyan earned a title shot after back-to-back victories at former champion Charles Oliveira and former Top-three Competent Beneil Dariush.
Tsarukyan, however, eventually withdrew from his first titles against Makhachev on UFC 311 and withdrew from the main event due to a back injury prior to the weightings.
UFC CEO Dana White excluded an immediate title fight for Tsarukyan and said he had to fight again.
“Arman should probably be the most merit,” Iaquinta said about Tsarukyan in the title interview.
“He was there. [UFC] A strange deal about making. I think he was injured, that didn't like that. But I think if he is injured, I think he might have made the smart move for himself.
“The UFC probably didn't like it. They probably just wanted him to go there and fight. But I think it's between the three of those guys, right?” Iaquinta added.
It is also worth noting, Tsarukyan has made championship weight as a backup hunter for Topuria vs. Oliveira on UFC 317.
“I think this can be a good indication of where they want to go,” Iaquinta said that Tsarukyan may be the next one in line for Topuria after the promotion has done a pleasure.