Darren Till thinks his fellow scouser Paddy Pimblett would stop UFC veteran Justin Gaethje in a potential ‘brilliant’ fight.
Liverpool’s MMA star Pimblett is just one fight away from his first title shot in the UFC, having made easy work of Michael Chandler in his latest bout last month.
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He is undefeated in seven successive UFC fights now as the promotion’s No. 8 ranked lightweight and wants his next appearance in the Octagon to set up his first shot at gold in Dana White’s promotion.
Till, who is one of the biggest names to emerge from Merseyside as an elite MMA fighter, believes Gaethje is ‘definitely’ the best fight for Pimblett’s development next.
“Paddy vs Justin Gaethje is a brilliant fight,” Till said, speaking to Plejmo.
“I think it’s going to bring a lot out in Paddy because Gaethje is a dog.
“But I think Paddy finishes Gaethje in two rounds. I think he submits him.”
Gaethje bounced back from a brutal knockout defeat to Max Holloway at UFC 300 to outpoint Rafael Fiziev in his last fight in March and throw his name back into contention for a title shot.
The 36-year-old was crowned UFC interim lightweight champion in May 2020 after he stopped Tony Ferguson, but lost his only shot at a UFC belt when he was submitted by Khabib Nurmagomedov five months later.
“Definitely, [Gaethje is the best next development fight for Paddy],” Till added.
“He’s being put along the path correctly, I love it.”
‘The Gorilla’ then concluded by asserting that Pimblett needs to fight longtime rival Ilia Topuira within a year.
Paddy Pimblett’s last five UFC fights
Undefeated
Def. Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in April 2025 via third-round TKO
Def. Bobby Green at UFC 304 in July 2024 via first-round submission
Def. Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 in December 2023 via unanimous decision
Def. Jared Gordon at UFC 287 in December 2022 via unanimous decision
Def. Jordan Leavitt at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs Aspinall in July 2022 via second-round submission
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UFC CEO White confirmed this month that Topuria would fight Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in late June for the lightweight strap that is being vacated by Islam Makhachev.
This has led to many MMA fans dreaming of a mouthwatering clash between Topuria and Pimblett, should both men find success in their next fights.
Pimblett and Topuria share a mutual hatred for one another that dates back to a spat they were involved in back at a London hotel in 2022.
With Oliveira fighting Topuria for the UFC lightweight title next, there are few options for Pimblett, so a title eliminator with Gaethje makes perfect sense.
Holloway and Dustin Poirier are both above Topuria in the rankings at 155 lbs, but they fight each other in the latter’s retirement fight at UFC 318 in July.
Dan Hooker and Mateusz Gamrot are also higher than Pimblett, but the Liverpudlian is unlikely to be interested in a fight with either of those two.
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This realistically only leaves Gaethje and No. 1 ranked lightweight Arman Tsarukyan as suitable opponents for Pimblett next.
Last week, Tsarukyan said he would fight Pimblett this summer in a UFC lightweight title eliminator.
However, the Armenian is currently in White’s bad books, having pulled out of his title bout with Makhachev at UFC 311 in January on very short notice.
This means that the promotion are unlikely to offer him a huge paying fight with Pimblett next.
Meanwhile, the UFC and Pimblett have been very careful with their opponent selection for the 30-year-old, so it would be no surprise to see him in there with a tough, but very beatable opponent like Gaethje next.
