The UFC lightweight division has changed a lot since Islam Makhachev left the throne. After the Dagestani champ moved up to 170 lbs, Ilia Topuria succeeded him as the new king of the 155 lbs division by flatlining Charles Oliveira at UFC 317. Now, ‘El Matador’ is looking forward to making his comeback. His opponent? Paddy Pimblett has been a frontrunner to become a solid contender to actually face the Georgian Spaniard on the early Paramount card. But the former champ thinks otherwise.

Recently, Pimblett revealed to Marca that he’s “struggling to get a fight,” claiming everyone has been ducking him, along with Topuria. Going further, the Liverpudlian also mentioned that Justin Gaethje didn’t answer his call to fight in Abu Dhabi, leaving only the title fight against ‘El Matador’. Surprisingly, Topuria also seemed very interested in fighting Pimblett, as he stated during an interview with Diario AS, “If it were up to me, I think I’d rather fight Paddy because there’s a history.” However, as the fight actually picked up some steam, Makhachev made it clear that Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje both deserve the title shot more than Pimblett. 

Islam Makhachev names Tsarukyan and Gaetjhe as Ilia Topuria’s next opponents  

The former lightweight champ told ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, “Oh man, I don’t know it’s the first time it’s… Arman was the back up fighter for the Charles Oliveira and Topuria. He cut weight, he show it. And after that he have to fight for the tile, you know. But I don’t know, I think Arman have to be next. Because this guy deserve you know. He did like mistake when he was supposed to fight with me. He injured, he not come to like weigh-in. But, he still number one in the division and he have to fight for the title.   

Makhachev has a point here. The UFC actually had Arman Tsarukyan as the backup fighter for the Ilia Topuria vs. Charles Oliveira showdown during International Fight Week, which made fans believe that the Armenian was next in line for a title shot. However, the promotion has now matched him against Dan Hooker as the main event of UFC Qatar, further complicating the lightweight contender picture. Still, there’s no clear sign from Dana White that the winner of this fight will get a chance to fight Topuria for the 155 lbs gold.

So, while the Dagestani legend believes the #1 lightweight rightfully deserves to fight Topuria next, he also mentioned Justin Gaethje’s chances as well. But, Makhachev clearly doesn’t want to see Paddy Pimblett fighting for a championship just for beating Michael Chandler—someone he believes anybody in the division is capable of defeating.

He added, “Maybe Arman… maybe Gaethje… but not Paddy for sure. Man, I don’t know, Paddy beat who? Like Tony Ferguson, who else he beat? Chandler? Everybody beat Chandler.” 

Well, it’s a fact that Paddy doesn’t have a single win over a top-five-ranked lightweight right now. That’s exactly why many fans have been ruling him out of a clash against the Georgian-Spaniard champion. As the uncertainty around the division’s title picture keeps growing, Dana White has hinted at something quite significant. 

Dana White clears the air around ‘El Matador’ vs ‘The Baddy’ fight 

When Joe Rogan called out Paddy Pimblett to face off against the new lightweight champion Ilia Topuria at UFC 317, fans loved seeing their rivalry reignite once again. However, Dana White at the post-fight presser expressed that he didn’t like Topuria and Pimblett getting into a faceoff. Fast forward to now, as the grudge match possibility rises again, the UFC head honcho has shared a similar verdict.

Talking to TNT Sports, White said, “As of right now, no, we haven’t made that fight. We’re trying to figure out what’s next for Topuria. We’re always exploring lots of different things. Listen, obviously it’s a fun fight, people would like to see that, but I don’t know.” But that’s not all. The UFC CEO also took this opportunity to address other potential fights like Khamzat Chimaev vs. Nassourdine Imavov for the Paramount+ CBS card next year, claiming everything is under the realm of possibility. But no guarantee so far. 

He added, “You want me to make, like, 10 fights right here while we’re doing this right now? Everything is possible. Everything is possible, but no, we haven’t made any of these fights yet.”

So, as we’re still in the dark about next year’s possible matchups, only time will tell what the promotion has in store for us. That being said, let us know whether you’d like to see Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett next—or some other matchup—in the comments section below.