A massive UFC fight has been suggested for Paddy Pimblett just days after falling short in his bid to become the interim UFC lightweight champion.
'The Baddy' suffered the first defeat of his budding UFC career when he was outpointed by Justin Gaethje in a five-round war.
Gaethje battered Pimblett, who showed his heart and toughness as he looked completely unrecognisable days after their main-event bout at UFC 324.
Pimblett has since been slapped with a suspension as he released a statement in the wake of his crushing defeat in Las Vegas.
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Once his suspension is over, he will set his sights on returning to action, with no shortage of opponents.
Speaking ahead of this weekend's UFC 325 in Sydney, Chael Sonnen shared his thoughts on the promotion's White House plans and in doing so, backed Pimblett to return in a huge fight.
Sonnen wants to see Pimblett face the winner of Dan Hooker vs. Benoit Saint-Denis, which goes down in the co-main event of UFC 325.
The mouth-watering showdown pits two highly ranked contenders against each other, with the veteran Kiwi ranked sixth in the UFC lightweight division, while the Frenchman is ranked eighth.
Sonnen believes the winner of Hooker vs. Saint-Denis should welcome Pimblett back to the Octagon once he returns to competition.
"By this time next week, Paddy will still be a star, and people will have forgotten that he lost. It's a miss. There's an opportunity right now for a 55 pounder to attach himself to Paddy 'The Baddy'," he said on his YouTube channel.
"And I like the idea of Paddy, even coming off a loss. I like the idea of Paddy versus the winner... and you think I'm going to say [Arman] Tsarukyan. No. I like the idea of Paddy versus the winner of Saint-Denis and Hooker."
A fight between Pimblett and Hooker would be a grudge match given their recent exchanges.
The 31-year-old Liverpudlian angered Hooker when he made a vulgar remark about his rival's mum, with 'The Hangman' hitting back in controversial fashion.
He made reference to Pimblett's mate who took his own life.
As for Saint-Denis, there isn't much heat between them as they haven't got involved in any online spats, but it would be a potential barnburner considering their all-action styles.
Topics: Paddy Pimblett, UFC
Nasir Jabbar