It seems like Paddy Pimblett was determined to take on Islam Makhachev, ever since the champ trolled him for his win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282. While the Dagestani ruled the lightweight division, the Brit climbed to the UFC athlete rankings with his victory via triangle choke against Bobby Green at UFC 304. This achievement propelled ‘The Baddy’ to look for a fight against Makhachev. Needless to say, the Englishman kept beaming with confidence. 

Pimblett made an appearance on Ryan Hall’s ‘StillTalkingShow w/ Stillryan #1’ on 25th November. Therein, Hall asked if ‘The Baddy’ ever looked at Makhachev thinking “I’m coming for you”. Pimblett, filled with confidence, replied, “Yeah, of course.” He further claimed that he would actually defeat the LW champ. He said, “I’ve got to. You think I’m gonna sit here and say, ‘Oh no. He’d beat me.’ Then I’m not a fighter. I’m a coward.”

But is that the message Pimblett wanted to send to Makhachev? Well, there was a high probability of the Dagestani watching the video. That was when ‘The Baddy’ said, “I respect Islam. You know what I mean? Great champion. People will probably laugh at me for saying this, but obviously, I think I’d beat him. I don’t think any man on this planet would beat me if we got in a cage with him. I think I’d beat everyone.” 

This intrigued Hall. He asked, “So Islam wouldn’t stand a chance if he got in a cage with you?” But in Pimblett’s mind, there was no way Makhachev emerged as the victor. The Dagestani fighter has lost only 1 fight in his fighting career and is currently on a 24-fight win streak. But that didn’t flinch the 31-year-old Brit. He simply replied, “I always say, if you think anyone in your division or anyone in your like, rivals or anything like that, can beat you, you’re in the wrong sport.” 

With the heat thrown at Islam Makhachev, the Russian had to acknowledge #13 lightweight contender’s challenges. However, he had a condition for Paddy Pimblett.

The only way Islam Makhachev would clash with Paddy Pimblett

During the press conference for UFC Fight Night: Sandhagen vs. Nurmagomedov, Makhachev acknowledged the British challenger. He said, “When he deserve, why not? If he won the next couple of match, and when he’s gonna be like top 10, why not? Because I don’t have some exciting fight in my division, so we need some new name.” 

But Pimblett wasn’t someone who would drop his plans so easily. He stayed determined to rise to the top and kept on training. And in one of his YouTube videos, he said, “You know Islam, we’re coming. We’re coming brother, we’re coming.” 

No doubt, Makhachev is one of the strongest grapplers in the UFC. But Pimblett has also won 10 out of his 22 wins via submissions. On top of that, he has his infamous left kick and the roundhouse to rely upon. The matchup is nothing short of exciting. ‘The Baddy’ has already climbed to the 13th spot. A couple more fights, and he’d indeed get to fight Makhachev.

Who do you think would win if Pimblett and Makhachev locked horns? Let us know what you think in the comments down below.