Should his original callout post-fight at UFC 304 not come to fruition, Paddy Pimblett has at least one other name in mind.
Pimblett was among the biggest winners to emerge from this past weekend’s pay-per-view event at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, where he was one of many home fighters making the walk.
“The Baddy” put in one of the night’s standout performances, rendering ranked lightweight King Green unconscious with a triangle choke for the technical submission victory in the very first round.
As a result, Pimblett has found himself debuting in the top 15, meaning a whole new set of possible opponents lie in wait for the Liverpool native. One in particular has caught the former Cage Warriors champion’s eye, with Renato Moicano on the receiving end of his Octagon callout at UFC 304.
Moicano is currently set to headline the UFC Fight Night in Paris, France, this September opposite Benoît Saint Denis.
Should the result of that matchup leave a battle with the Brazilian off the table, Pimblett wouldn’t mind throwing down with one of Moicano’s fellow countrymen instead…
Pimblett Open To ‘Punching In’ Dos Anjos For Past Tweets
During a backstage interview with Full Send MMA, Pimblett reflected on his performance at UFC 304 and assessed what could be next in his journey up the lightweight ladder.
While he reiterated his desire to share the Octagon with Renato Moicano, Pimblett did entertain another name, former champion Rafael dos Anjos, who sits one place above him in the 155-pound rankings.
“There are some names. Renato beat Jalin though,” Pimblett said to shut down Turner as an option. “I’ve seen dos Anjos say himself that he’s moving up to welterweight; he’s not fighting at lightweight anymore. So you never know, I could end up moving up higher than 15 in the rankings if ‘RDA’s’ moving up.
“I also have seen ‘RDA’ tweet about me in the past, though. So if he wants his head punching in, I’ll punch his head in,” Pimblett continued. “But as I say, I’m thinking Moicano more than likely.”
Despite suggesting his lightweight stint was over following a knockout loss to Rafael Fiziev in 2022, “RDA” returned to the division unsuccessfully against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 in Miami this past March.
Following that setback, the Brazilian once again suggested he’ll only consider welterweight contests moving forward. But perhaps his past comments on Pimblett and the high-profile nature of that matchup could draw him back to 155 pounds.
In the aftermath of “The Baddy’s” win over Tony Ferguson last December, “RDA” branded Pimblett “terrible” and insisted he wouldn’t even need a fight camp to defeat him in the cage.
