UFC lightweight contender Paddy “the Baddy” Pimblett has claimed that he’d “love” to fight a particular boxer if the “money was right” ahead of his UFC 324 interim lightweight title clash against Justin Gaethje.
Pimblett, who is currently unbeaten in his seven UFC fights, will face veteran Gaethje at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday (January 24).
Not only will the Liverpudlian be hoping to maintain his perfect record since signing with the world’s premier MMA organisation, but the added incentive of picking up the interim lightweight title is on the line, while undisputed champion Ilia Topuria deals with issues in his personal life, which will likely keep him sidelined until at least the second half of 2026.
A victory over Gaethje would be Pimblett’s most notable so far - having already defeated Michael Chandler, Tony Ferguson, and King Green in his last three UFC bouts - and would put him in pole position to fight for the lightweight title upon Topuria’s return amid an ongoing feud between the duo.
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During fight week, Pimblett will solely be focused on the task of beating Gaethje, but he has also teased a potential boxing match against a particular opponent in the future.
Speaking to SPORTbible on behalf of Casino Guru, the 31-year-old claimed that he would fight Jake Paul “any day of the week” on the condition that the finances were right.
“If the money is right… I'd love to box Jake Paul,” Pimblett said.
“That'd be f**king hilarious, but the money has to be right. I have to be earning a lot of money from it.
“At the minute, I'm focused on my MMA career, I've got things that I want to be doing in MMA.
“As I say, becoming a world champion, that's the main thing for me at the minute. I've always said I'm going to be UFC world champion, and I get the chance to do it in the next couple of weeks, so that comes first and foremost before anything else does.
“After that, if Jake Paul wants to pay me to box him, and he can get his money out, I'll box him any day of the week.”
For now, Pimblett is focused on securing a world title in MMA, but based on the fact that Paul fought two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua less than one month ago, it’s fair to say a future crossover fight between “The Baddy” and “The Problem Child” should not be ruled out.
Topics: Boxing, Jake Paul, Justin Gaethje, MMA, Paddy Pimblett, UFC, Spotlight
Luke Davies