Paddy Pimblett Envisions Future UFC Title Defense Against Conor McGregor

Paddy Pimblett plans on chasing a big payday if he wins a UFC title.

The Liverpudlian, who faces Michael Chandler at UFC 314, is targeting a Top 5 opponent next and hopes to earn a title shot with a win. Pimblett would then like to defend his title against Conor McGregor in front of his home fans at the Anfield Stadium, home of the Liverpool football club.

However, Pimblett also has his eyes on a latest addition to the lightweight roster, Ilia Topuria. Pimblett called Topuria “hand sanitizer boy,” referring to the their altercation ahead of UFC London in 2022.

“My plan is to fight with Top 5 opponents, then fight for the belt… And then my first title defense could be Conor McGregor in Anfield,” Pimblett told Shakiel Mahjouri. “That is perfect because that’s where the money is… But obviously I want to batter hand sanitizer boy. I want to show him how small he is and show him that he’s got little man syndrome.”

Pimblett and Topuria got into a heated altercation in 2022 over the Englishman’s comments on Georgia. Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at the Georgian-Spaniard before security intervened. The two have since traded several barbs over the years. Chances of matchup between the two have now increased, as “El Matador” recently announced a move to lightweight after defending his featherweight title only once.

Meanwhile, McGregor hasn’t fought since 2021 and has dropped three of his last four. While he has teased a return to the Octagon on several occasions, “Notorious” pulled out of a proposed booking against Chandler at UFC 303 and has been dealing with legal issues outside of the cage in recent months.