Paddy Pimblett dismisses "spoiled rich baby" Arman Tsarukyan's claim over title shot against Ilia Topuria, disses Dan Hooker for "talking sh*t"

Paddy Pimblett has stepped up his push for a title shot against newly crowned lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and made it clear who he believes should be nowhere near the opportunity.

The Liverpool native, ranked No.9 in the division, said a fight against Topuria is what American fans want to see, even if higher-ranked contenders might have stronger claims.

He singled out top-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan and accused him of trying to hype his way into the fight by extending a bet to Topuria. Pimblett called Tsarukyan a spoiled rich kid and mocked him for pulling out of UFC 311 while cutting weight. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Pimblett said:

"Hopefully, it’s me vs. Chorizo [Topuria] next, that’s what all Americans want. But, I understand I’m ranked 9, so other people are more deserving. But Posh Boy definitely isn’t. Little rich boy Arman showing how desperate he is, offering him a million pounds to fight him. Spoiled rich baby, trying to pay their way out of things. That’s why he quit when he was making weight in a bath like a little b*tch."

The verbal jabs extended to Dan Hooker, who has previously dismissed Pimblett as a potential opponent in favour of Tsarukyan:

"Dan Hooker started talking sh*t, I used to like him, now he can eat sh*t."

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (12:00):

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Kamaru Usman questions merit of Paddy Pimblett potentially leapfrogging contenders to face Ilia Topuria

Former UFC welterweight champion Kamaru Usman believes Paddy Pimblett potentially getting the next title shot over established contenders would be an injustice to the division’s merit order.

Speaking on his Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru Usman & Henry Cejudo podcast, the UFC welterweight acknowledged Pimblett’s success against the opponents placed in front of him, but stressed that higher-ranked fighters deserve the opportunity first:

"It makes sense. If you're not going to do Arman Tsarukyan or you're not going to do Justin Gaethje, you've got Dan Hooker there, Mateusz Gamrot, Beneil Dariush in front of Paddy Pimblett. So to skip all of these guys just to give him a title shot, that kind of spits in the face of the merit of the best fights, the next best guy."