Paddy Pimblett was like many MMA fans the world over this past Saturday night as he watched UFC 322 happen from Madison Square Garden in New York City. As you know by now if you watched this weekend, Islam Makhachev was successful in his bid to win the UFC Welterweight Championship against Jack Della Maddalena in the main event of the evening.
Pimblett is now left to think about what it might mean for the future of Makhachev’s former division at 155 in the wake of Saturday night’s card. If the comments made by Paddy Pimblett on YouTube earlier Sunday are any indication, he’s concerned about who he might face off against in his next fight inside the fabled Octagon.
“The Baddy” was watching a recording of Saturday night’s card after he woke up on Sunday morning and filmed his reactions to the fights for the YouTube video. Ever since Ilia Topuria secured the then-vacant UFC Lightweight Championship this past summer, a title fight matching Paddy Pimblett with Topuria has been the former’s target.
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Paddy Pimblett Wondering About First Opponent of 2026
“Let’s see what’s happening now with Islam [Makhachev] because is Ilia going to stick to his word and say he’s going to move up?,” pondered Paddy Pimblett in the aftermath of the UFC 322 main event on Saturday night, “or is he going to stick to his other word and say he’s going to fight me next? We don’t know what’s happening. You never know.”
While the UFC Welterweight Championship picture got clearer after the UFC 322 main event this weekend, the picture as it relates to a possible future opponent for Paddy Pimblett is only more out of focus. Pimblett did say he’ll be fighting in the first part of 2026.
“I could end up fighting Ilia [Topuria],” he said. “I could end up fighting Justin Gaethje as I thought it was going to be in Abu Dhabi, but no one knows what’s happening until Islam decides what he’s doing because Ilia’s saying he wants to fight him.”
Good Problem for Paddy Pimblett to Have
Currently, Paddy Pimblett is sitting at No. 6 in the lightweight division, having last fought seven months ago in Miami at UFC 314. He’s also currently undefeated under the UFC promotional banner at 7-0.
Across all competitions, “The Baddy” is undefeated in his last nine MMA fights. His resume heading into the new year is already looking good no matter who his next opponent happens to be in his upcoming contest.
Simply put, Paddy Pimblett’s in as solid of a position as he could hope for going out of 2025. Think about it: He’s yet to lose in the UFC and is firmly in the conversation for the division’s championship and his stature will only improve if he emerges victorious from his next fight.
Paddy Pimblett Close to a Title Already
Realistically speaking, should Paddy Pimblett score a victory in his first fight of 2026, opponent notwithstanding, he’ll be, at the most, two fights away from a championship. Pimblett could put in the performance of his career on one of the first UFC cards to stream on the promotion’s new United States streaming home of Paramount Plus and put himself within a whisker of a UFC Lightweight Championship opportunity.
As “The Baddy” pointed out on YouTube earlier in the day, however, it’s all hinging on what Islam Makhachev decides to do in the wake of UFC 322 this past weekend and whether or not a fight between Makhachev and Topuria ends up coming to pass. Will the allure of a contest against Topuria end up being too tantalizing for Makhachev to pass up?
Regardless of what happens next, Pimblett will firmly be in the conversation for the lightweight title as the calendar shifts to 2026 at the end of next month. This will be a most interesting story to watch play out in the early portion of 2026.
