In less than two months, the UFC will enter its groundbreaking $7.7 billion Paramount+ and CBS era, and they’re looking to kick off the year with a bang. UFC 323 in December will mark the end of the ESPN deal, and UFC 324 in January is set to be the first marquee event under the new broadcasting partnership. Still, with the end of the year approaching, Dana White hasn’t announced any fights yet. However, a massive matchup between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett has been floating around the rumor mill.

In a recent interview with Diario AS, ‘El Matador’ welcomed the grudge match with the Liverpudlian, saying, “If it were up to me, I think I’d rather fight Paddy because there’s a history between us. And I think it would be a much more entertaining fight for the fans.” It seems the reigning lightweight champion is aiming to finally settle the unfinished business from their UFC 317 face-off. And as the Georgian-Spaniard champ sounds ready, the Paddy Pimblett camp has also answered with a probable date. 

Paddy Pimblett’s camp eyes Ilia Topuria clash in early Paramount+ cards 

‘The Baddy’ uploaded a video on the YouTube channel, where his head coach, Paul Rimmer, said, “He’s good to go, he needs a fight. Cause everything changes in Paddy’s mindset when he’s got a fight. Apart from that, he ticks over. Just need that fight. Back end of January would be perfect. Early February, maybe. Ultimately, more than what I want than what he wants. He doesn’t want to be hanging around, we all know Paddy’s like, he wants to fight. There’s a potential strap in the future and a massive fight, and he just needs that date.  

Going by the Liverpudlian’s coach, their team is clearly looking toward UFC 324, currently set for January 24 at the T-Mobile Arena. That date looks more realistic, since UFC 325 will be in Sydney and Alexander Volkanovski will most likely headline that event. Still, credit where it’s due, ‘The Baddy’s camp seems so confident they’re ready to jump straight into the clash. Moreover, Paddy has also called out Topuria to sign the contract, even poking fun at his moniker.

Talking about his training, the Liverpudlian said on his YouTube video, “It shows how fit I am, because even at round six, seven, eight, I still feel good. I’m still getting takedowns, landing punches, getting on top of dominant positions, and getting finishes. So I need ‘El Chorizo’ to sign the contract and stop stalling.”

Now, Paddy Pimblett has called out Ilia Topuria before as well, claiming that Topuria isn’t signing the contract. But Dana White recently told TNT Sports that the fight is definitely within the realm of possibility, but it’s just not completely locked in yet. So, it’s still a mystery what happens next with Ilia and Paddy. However, while El Matador’s next opponent remains undecided, another top contender has already called him out,  downplaying his championship resume in the process. 

Arman Tsarukyan downgrades ‘EL Matador’s championship reign 

Although Ilia Topuria cemented his place in UFC history by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and Charles Oliveira back-to-back, there’s still criticism floating around about his championship run. Many fans believe he beat those legends after their prime, which made those devastating knockouts look less impressive. Echoing that same sentiment, Arman Tsarukyan also believes ‘El Matador’s wins weren’t as impressive as they seem on paper.

In an interview with Russian outlet Championat, Akhalkalakets said, “Yes, I think he hasn’t fought anyone who’s truly on form right now. He needs to fight someone like me or Islam, someone who can wrestle, who’s active and at their peak. He fought Volkanovski, who’d already been knocked out, been through so much. Holloway? He’s basically just fighting for the money…” But Tsarukyan didn’t stop there.

He added, “I think if he gets past me and Islam, then he’ll be truly one of the best fighters of all time.” And that’s somewhat true. Ilia Topuria has definitely made his case as one of the modern greats, but to achieve the greatest of all time tag, he needs to at least defend his lightweight belt twice and then possibly challenge Islam Makhachev at welterweight for the triple champ chase, which they have verbally agreed.

Now the big question remains: will Arman Tsarukyan, who’s scheduled to fight Dan Hooker at UFC Fight Night Qatar, be next? Or will Paddy Pimblett get his shot? Or could Justin Gaethje slide in and steal the opportunity against ‘El Matador’? We’re still waiting to find out. That said, who do you think makes the best case to face Topuria next? Comment down below.