Paddy Pimblett explains why he prefers Justin Gaethje over Arman Tsarukyan for potential fight: "No one cares about him"

Paddy Pimblett recently shared his thoughts on potential fights against Justin Gaethje and Arman Tsarukyan. The Englishman made it clear that he'd prefer Gaethje as an opponent over Tsarukyan despite acknowledging the latter's skills as a fighter.

Pimblett is coming off an impressive third-round knockout win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in April and has been angling for a title shot against Ilia Topuria next. Pimblett and Topuria even faced off in the octagon after the Georgian-Spanish fighter's lightweight title win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.

While many expect Pimblett to be the next title challenger, Gaethje and Tsarukyan have been vocal about wanting an opportunity to fight Topuria next. Given that there's no clear path toward a title shot at the moment, with Max Holloway's recent win over Dustin Poirier thrusting him into the championship picture as well, an eliminator between Pimblett and Gaethje or Tsarukyan could be on the cards.

Get the latest updates on One Championship Rankings at Sportskeeda and more

Addressing a possible fight against either Gaethje or Tsarukyan during an interview, Pimblett picked 'The Highlight' as his preferred choice and said:

"Arman's a very good fighter, but no one cares about him. People just look at him and think, 'Yeah, you sh*t yourself before fighting Islam [Makhachev]... Everyone knows Justin Gaethje is a f**king banger... He's a legend, Arman isn't. So I'd love to fight another legend, Justin Gaethje."

Justin Gaethje gets 100% real about potential Paddy Pimblett fight

Justin Gaethje isn't interested in fighting Paddy Pimblett next and is willing to retire from the sport if he's booked against the Englishman. Gaethje recently addressed the possibility of the UFC matching him up against Pimblett next instead of giving him a title shot.

In an interview with ESPN MMA, 'The Highlight' vehemently dismissed the idea of fighting Pimblett next and said:

"Absolutely not. If that’s the route they want me to take, I don’t believe they need me anymore. I know that sounds petty or whatever, but I’m No.3 [ranked], I’m 3-1 in my last four. The champion was calling to fight me, but then he vacated, and they brought a new guy in and gave a guy [Oliveira] that’s 2-2 [in his last four] the fight."

He continued:

"So, if their algorithm and their math tell them to just use me until I get beat, then I’m really going to have to re-evaluate what I’m doing here. I signed up for a merit-based system."

About the author

Nishant brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his MMA reporting for Sportskeeda. During his 1.5 years with the organization and previous work, Nishant has established himself as a prolific writer in the MMA community. With a Bachelor's degree in Media and Journalism and a Master's degree in International Relations, Nishant's educational background enhances his analytical and reporting skills.

Nishant admires UFC legend Georges St-Pierre for his dominance and exemplary conduct inside and outside the cage. The monumental UFC 229 event, headlined by a grudge match between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor, captivated Nishant and solidified his passion for MMA.

Nishant focuses on delivering high-quality content by giving attention to detail, and rigorous fact-checking via multiple layers. His dedication is evident in his achievement of publishing over 1.7K articles and accumulating 4.4 million reads in less than two years.

Nishant feels that it is only a matter of time that MMA takes over Boxing as the no.1 combat sport. Beyond MMA, his interests include philosophy, music exploration, and wildlife photography.

Know More

Follow One Championship News, Schedule & Results at Sportskeeda.

Edited by Nishant Zende.