UFC's Paddy Pimblett Eyes Justin Gaethje Fight, Open to Ilia Topuria Bout

Rising UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett is eyeing a pair of big matchups for his next two fights.

Pimblett told ESPN's James Regan that he feels a matchup against former UFC BMF and interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje is on the horizon.

"I'm just planning on myself in October," Pimblett told Regan. "I think it will more than likely be Justin Gaethje because Max [Holloway] and Dustin [Poirier] are fighting, that's [No. 4 and No. 5]. Obviously, Justin is a legend. He comes out and he has a scrap. You can't not like Justin Gaethje, he comes out and has a scrap every time. But he's another one who is coming to the back end of his career, and I really think that I finish him."

That's not all, as Pimblett added that he would welcome the opportunity to face former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria, who is set to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317 on June 28 in Las Vegas. He even said he feels he could go straight to a title shot without fighting again if Topuria is victorious over Oliveira and calls him out afterward.

"I'll be in the arena when Ilia fights Charles," Pimblett said. "If Ilia wins, I can see him mentioning me, so you never know, I could just be like Charles and get a win off fighting Michael Chandler. I think it's better for me if Ilia wins because I might not even have to fight again, I'll more than likely be his first defense if he mentions me after it. He said himself he wants to fight me just like I want to fight him."

Pimblett is coming off the biggest win of his career, as he defeated Chandler by third-round TKO at UFC 314 last month. The 30-year-old looked as dominant as ever, solidifying himself as one of the fastest-rising contenders in the 155-pound division.

It's more likely that Pimblett will have to get past Gaethje before getting a title shot, but a matchup between him and Topuria would be an intriguing battle between two of the UFC's young stars, which could be too exciting for the company to pass up if Topuria wins the lightweight belt.