Paddy Pimblett is ready to return, and he has plenty of options ahead of him.
Two fighters in particular have caught Pimblett’s attention after scoring big victories at UFC 300. Bobby Green won a decision over Jim Miller and then called for a fight with “The Baddy,” then longtime Pimblett rival Renato Moicano did the same after submitting Jalin Turner.
Pimblett responded to the callouts in a YouTube video, starting with Green.
“As you know, UFC 300, everybody wants a slice of ‘The Baddy,’” Pimblett said. “Bobby Green screamed my name on the mic after it. Didn’t surprise me, know what I mean? He might be ranked, but he’s got no followers and he needs me. Just like everyone else, they want to fight me because they know I’m the boy. Bobby Green’s an option. If Bobby Green wants to fight, I’m there.”
Green, a veteran of 49 pro bouts, has won three of his past four fights and currently holds the No. 15 spot in the UFC’s official lightweight rankings. It’s a spot that Pimblett wants, but he has other plans in mind, especially if he can convince Moicano to spend a few months with him filming a season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“I’d rather fight my boy, Moicano,” Pimblett said. “Where you at, Renato? I don’t even dislike Renato Moicano. I actually like him. He’s a funny guy. He’s a cool dude. So me and him having a fight would be hilarious. The buildup to that fight would be very, very funny. I think it’d be even funnier if me and him done a season of The Ultimate Fighter.
“That’d be six, seven, eight weeks of pure comedy for the fans. So I would — I’d love that, to be honest. And I’d rather go right in at rank 10 rather than beating rank 15.
Unsurprisingly, Pimblett is targeting a fight on the upcoming card in Manchester, England, on July 27. The Liverpool native is coming off of a unanimous decision win over Tony Ferguson, a result that improved his UFC record to 5-0.
With that legendary name behind him, he’s strictly aiming to move up the ranks now.
“But, next for me is someone, obviously, hopefully it’s someone in the top 15,” Pimblett said. “I don’t want to fight down. I want to be trying to fight up, I want to try and get ranked.”
