UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett is hoping to return to the cage next summer following his recent win at UFC 296.
‘The Baddy’ ended a yearlong hiatus over the weekend, returning on the UFC 296 main card. There, the rising lightweight met former interim champion, Tony Ferguson. Heading into the bout, the two men were riding radically different fortunes heading into the contest, with ‘El Cucuy’ having lost seven straight.
At UFC 296, Paddy Pimblett improved his winning streak to seven. He battered the legend throughout the contest, finding success on the mat and in the stand-up. While Ferguson attempted to rally in the third round, he wound up suffering a unanimous decision defeat. Much to the dismay of his newest training partner, David Goggins.
Speaking to ESPN MMA following the fight, Paddy Pimblett reflected on the victory. There, the Liverpool native was asked about his plans to return to the cage. There, he admitted that he was hoping to return at UFC 300 in April. However, due to the impending birth of his kids around that date, he will be unable to event.
However, ‘The Baddy’ did show interest in a potential return in July. In the interview, Pimblett noted that he had heard rumblings of a UFC Manchester card going down that month. Given the proximity to the rising lightweight, he believes that would make sense for a logical return.
Paddy Pimblett discusses plans for 2024 return following win over Tony Ferguson
“I wanted to fight on UFC 300, but then when Dana announced it the other day, he said April 13 didn’t he? … The twins are due between the 12th and the 17th. If he’d have said a week earlier, I might have been able to,” Paddy Pimblett stated in a recent interview, discussing a potential return to the UFC octagon. “I just wanna fight someone above me, someone ranked now if I can. But with the twins coming, I’m gonna spend some time with my pregnant wife and then obviously with my babies when they’re first born.”
He continued, “I’ve heard of a rumored card in July in Manchester, which is only 30 minutes from my house. So, you could see me fight on that [card].”
While Paddy Pimblett will not be appearing on UFC 300, there’s no doubt the card will be excellent on its own. As of now, there are no fights announced for the event. However, Dana White has stated that the card will be an exception one and has tabbed Jim Miller as the first fighter on the card.
Furthermore, a potential lightweight bout between Conor McGregor and Michael Chandler has been linked to the event. ‘The Notorious’ and ‘Iron’ coached the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter earlier this summer. However, they’ve been unable to nail down a fight date since.
