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Topics: Paddy Pimblett, UFC
Nasir Jabbar
Paddy Pimblett has been called out to a monstrous fight that would earn him a shot at the UFC lightweight title.
Pimblett beat Michael Chandler at last month's UFC 314 to not only record the biggest win of his MMA career but also secure a spot in the top 10 of the UFC lightweight division.
His dominant victory over Chandler impressed Dana White, Joe Rogan and US president Donald Trump, who was in attendance at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
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'The Baddy' is eyeing a spot on UFC's proposed pay-per-view card in Abu Dhabi in October.
He is set to be matched against a big-name opponent following his win over Chandler.
Pimblett has called out the likes of Justin Gaethje and Charles Oliveira, who has recently been paired with Ilia Topuria for the vacant UFC lightweight title.
A clash against Arman Tsarukyan also makes sense as he looks for his next UFC assignment, having withdrawn from his title bout against Islam Makhachev just days before UFC 311.
And Tsarukyan wants to return to the Octagon against Pimblett as he surprisingly praised his rival.
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"He looked pretty good in his last fight. Now we can say he can beat Top-10 fighters. He’s No. 8 or something," he told Red Corner MMA.
"Maybe he wants to fight at the end of this year, but I want to fight this summer and the end of this year. I’ll take [this summer] that because he has a big name, he just beat Michael Chandler, and he has a six or seven [fight] win streak. He’s never lost in the UFC. It makes sense to get back and to get more fans from the UK."
Tsarukyan is on a four-fight winning streak and hasn't fought since his victory over Oliveira at UFC 300 last summer.
He's currently the No.1 ranked fighter in the UFC lightweight division, meaning Pimblett could become the No.1 contender if he beats him in a potential clash.
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Pimblett has already unloaded a verbal assault on Tsarukyan ahead of a potential showdown.
During UFC 314 fight week, the Liverpool star poked fun at the Armenian fighter for pulling out of his title bout against Makhachev at UFC 311 in January.
"Dana shot him down in that interview. I was like, 'Whoa, that's heavy'," he said on the Full Send Podcast. "You don't want the boss saying that about you, because he got asked 'Is Arman still No. 1?' and he was like, 'No, he's going to have to go back to the drawing board'.
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"He decided he's not going to fight. So basically, Arman, you sh*t your pants. You farted and followed through and had sh*t coming down your leg."