Paddy Pimblett wants blockbuster UFC fight this year as he names three dream opponents

Paddy Pimblett would relish the opportunity to face Conor McGregor in a blockbuster fight before the end of the year.

The Baddy will return to the octagon when he faces Benoit Saint-Denis in the co-main event of UFC 329 next month, but is already looking ahead to his next challenge after he faces the Frenchman.

Pimblett was outspoken as he relished the shock defeat of rival Ilia Topuria to Justin Gaethje at the UFC White House event at the weekend and would also be eager to face either of them later this year.

"I get offered fights and I accept them," Pimblett told Sky Sports. "When I beat BSD [Benoit Saint-Denis] - if the UFC want me to fight [Ilia] Topuria, I'll fight Topuria.

"I'd love to get that rematch against Gaethje and win the belt. You know, a lot of things happened in the fight that the ref should have done something about that he never did.

"Or if not, you know, I've heard McGregor's only got one fight on his contract after this. I'd love to fight Conor before the end of the year."

Former UFC champion McGregor will make his return to the octagon next month when he is scheduled to face fellow former champion Max Holloway in Las Vegas.

It will be the first time the Irishman has fought in the UFC for five years, with his last bout being his trilogy fight against former rival Dustin Poirier in July 2021. It was during that fight that McGregor broke his tibia, leading to a TKO loss in the first round.

Whether he gets the opportunity to face Pimblett could depend on how the duo both get on next month, with the Liverpudlian eager to boost his ranking after that defeat to Gaethje in January.

Pimblett dropped to sixth in his division, below his upcoming opponent, Saint-Denis, and is eager to start climbing the leaderboard again with an emphatic victory at UFC 329.

He added: "[Saint-Denis] got moved above me for beating Dan Hooker, who's absolute rubbish. So I want my ranking back, and I'll do it by beating Saint-Denis up."

While many people considered Topuria's defeat to Gaethje as a huge shock, Pimblett was confident the American would cause an upset.

Speaking in a livestream as he watched the bout, he said: "Justin Gaethje, man, what did I tell you? The ultimate spoiler. You quit like a little b****. My face was worse than yours. I am quoting tweeting that tweet he said to me.

"Justin Gaethje, well in lad. Undisputed champion, you deserve it after your career. Now I want that rematch."