Paddy Pimblett Challenges Conor McGregor: Let’s Meet at Madison Square Garden

Even before UFC 329, Paddy Pimblett is already looking ahead to the future. The Englishman is convinced that if both he and Conor McGregor win their fights, the UFC will have no trouble setting up a matchup between them in one of the biggest events of the year-end.

At UFC 329, former two-time champion Conor McGregor will make his long-awaited return to the Octagon, facing Max Holloway in the main event. A few hours earlier, Paddy Pimblett will also step into the cage for an extremely challenging bout against Benoit Saint-Denis. According to “The Baddy,” two wins could pave the way for a direct showdown between them.

“First, we have to win our own fights”

In an interview with UFC Europe, Paddy Pimblett admitted that, of all his potential opponents, Conor McGregor is the one he’s most interested in. What’s more, he would have no problem with the fight taking place at the welterweight limit.

“The perfect fight for me would be Conor, If McGregor wins, and I win, I want to fight again before the end of the year. I’ll fight him at welterweight in MSG, something like that. We’ve got to let everything unfold. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Conor’s got to beat Max. I’ve got to beat ‘BSD’. Anything can happen. As we know, fighting sports, one punch can change the whole realm of the game, it can change. That’s the butterfly effect. It can change everything for every other opponent.”

The Englishman also admitted that the opportunity to fight at the same event as McGregor is a huge opportunity in terms of media exposure. The Irishman’s presence always draws the attention of millions of fans, which is why Pimblett hopes that his bout with Benoit Saint-Denis will be watched by a much larger audience than usual.

At the same time, “The Baddy” makes no secret of the fact that Justin Gaethje remains in his sights. The Englishman would like to face him in the ring once more and prove that he is capable of defeating one of the most spectacular fighters in the history of the lightweight division.

“It’s mad to be honest. Obviously, I won seven fights in a row, and I don’t think my stock went up as (it did) losing my last fight. Beating people like Michael Chandler, Bobby Green, Tony Ferguson, and people are like meh. I got my head punched in for five rounds and my stock went up, people are saying I lost, but I won. In my eyes, I lost. My stock went up because I had a five-round war with a legend like Justin Gaethje. I want that back, I want to fight him again before he retires. Time to get back into the win column.”

For now, however, all those plans will have to wait. Pimblett’s top priority remains defeating Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC 329. Only a victory over the Frenchman will allow the Englishman to realistically consider fights against the biggest names in the lightweight division—and perhaps even a bout against Conor McGregor himself.