If Paddy Pimblett gets his way, he'll be fighting Renato Moicano or Dan Hooker in his next fight in the UFC.
England's Pimblett has long been one of the fastest rising stars in MMA, but it wasn't until his last fight that he finally cemented himself as a legitimate contender in the jam-packed UFC lightweight division.
His last Octagon appearance occurred at UFC 304 in Manchester in July, when he submitted veteran lightweight Bobby Green with a first-round rear-naked choke. Ever since that incredible performance, fans have been wondering who he'll fight next, and he made his choice clear in a recent interview with Action Network.
His top choice, he explained, is Brazil's Moicano.
"Now I want to fight Renato Moicano," Pimblett said. "He wants to fight me. I want to fight him. I think it’d be a fun fight for everyone involved. We’d end up having a good fight.
"If it was up to me, it’s Moicano. It’s a good scrap," he added. "I was thinking the other week, the perfect route to the title would have been Moicano and then Charles Oliveira."
Unfortunately for Pimblett, Moicano is set to take on Benoit Saint-Denis in the main event of the UFC's Sept. 28 return to Paris, France. As such, the Brit will likely have to fight somebody else, unless he intends to wait months for Moicano to heal up from whatever injuries he sustains in his fight with Saint-Denis.
Thankfully, Pimblett has another option in mind: New Zealand's Hooker.
"If I get offered Dan Hooker I’ll take it,” he said. “Jump right up to rank five, and then it probably will be in a title eliminator next.
"I’m game for any of them. As I say, any name gets sent to me, that’s all sound. I’m not shying away from fighting anyone.”
After his win over Green, Pimblett is 6-0 in the UFC, with four finishes. The other big highlight of his Octagon career was a decision defeat of former interim champ Tony Ferguson late last year. He's currently ranked No. 15 in the weight class.
Moicano, a former featherweight, is 6-2 since moving up to lightweight. His best victories in the division have come against Jalin Turner, Drew Dober and Brad Riddell, while his losses came against top competition in the form of Rafael dos Anjos and Rafael Fiziev. He's currently ranked No. 11 at lightweight.
Hooker, a staple of the lightweight Top 15, is currently on a three-fight streak. His latest win occurred at UFC 305 earlier this month, when he scored a major upset with a decision win over former two-division KSW champ Mateusz Gamrot. That win, which followed defeats of Claudio Puelles and Turner, earned him the No. 5 spot in the lightweight rankings.
