Just weeks before defending his PFL lightweight title in Dubai, Usman Nurmagomedov aimed at a different fight entirely, the one playing out at UFC 324, and in the process, delivered one of the harshest public assessments of Paddy Pimblett to date.

Alfie Davis, Nurmagomedov’s upcoming opponent at PFL Champions Series 5 on February 7, has recently spent time training alongside Pimblett. On paper, that connection sounds logical. Shared experience, shared knowledge, right? Nurmagomedov didn’t see it that way. Not even close.

Usman Nurmagomedov goes scorched earth on Paddy Pimblett’s UFC career

Speaking to Home of Fight in a clip shared by Red Corner MMA on X, the undefeated Dagestani lightweight dismissed the idea outright. Asked whether Pimblett could help Davis, Nurmagomedov cut in sharply: “Brother, Paddy Pimblett cannot help him.”

Why such confidence? When pressed further, Nurmagomedov doubled down: “Paddy Pimblett doesn’t have nothing. What do he have? Who’s Paddy?”

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The interviewer pointed out the obvious counterargument: Pimblett is fighting for an interim UFC title. Doesn’t that count for something? Nurmagomedov wasn’t buying it. “OK, what is… who he fight for the title? Like before, like he beat who?” he asked. When Michael Chandler’s name came up, the response was immediate: “Everybody beat Michael Chandler.”

That line alone speaks volumes about how Nurmagomedov views hierarchy at 155 pounds. In his eyes, wins matter, but context matters more. Chandler’s 2-5 UFC record, including losses to Charles Oliveira, Justin Gaethje, and Dustin Poirier, weakens the shine of that name.

When Dan Hooker was mentioned as another notable Chandler scalp, Nurmagomedov shrugged again. “Brother Michael Chandler and Dan Hooker, everybody beat these guys.”

The verdict was clear: these are good fighters, not elite ones.

That distinction is the core of Nurmagomedov’s argument. He isn’t attacking Pimblett personally. He’s challenging the standard. Then he rattled off the names he believes actually belong in the “elite” fighter conversations: Oliveira, Arman Tsarukyan, Gaethje, and Ilia Topuria.

Notice the pattern?

The PFL star even circled back to Pimblett’s most controversial win: “He has one fight, and I think he lose this fight,” he said, referencing the Jared Gordon bout. “Gordon beat him. Yeah, Jared Gordon… But the judges give him fight like one.”

Still, he was careful to frame his comments as analysis, not animosity: “No, I’m not like somebody who against Paddy. I’m just looking like a fan of the martial arts. My opinion, he doesn’t deserve title shots. My opinion, he has to fight with Arman before, but now, if you’re more popular, you can fight for the title.”

That’s the uncomfortable truth lurking beneath this entire debate. Love him or hate him, Paddy Pimblett is a draw. UFC 324 is the launch of the Paramount+ era, and Justin Gaethje vs. ‘The Baddy’ sells. Whether it represents the purest sporting logic is another question entirely; however, the Scouser has already got a plan to silence his doubters after UFC 324!

‘The Baddy’ ready to take on Arman Tsarukyan and other big names after UFC 324

What happens after UFC 324 might matter just as much as what happens inside it. And according to Paddy Pimblett, the plan doesn’t stop with Justin Gaethje. Speaking ahead of his first UFC main event, the No. 5–ranked lightweight made it clear that an interim belt wouldn’t come with caveats or careful matchmaking. If Ilia Topuria can’t return quickly, Pimblett says he’s ready to defend, and he already knows who he wants standing across from him.

During a pre-fight media scrum, the Liverpool native stated, “It’s annoying that people are saying I’m ducking Arman — I’ve never been offered to fight Arman. If I was ever offered that fight, I would’ve punched his head in by now. He irritates me. I think he’s an absolute helmet. So yeah, I’d fight Arman in a heartbeat.”

Pimblett didn’t stop at Tsarukyan. If Ilia Topuria’s absence stretches into the summer, he believes stronger action should follow. “If Ilia can’t fight until June or July, he should be stripped because he’s holding the division up,” Pimblett said.

Then he widened the net: “I’ll defend against Arman, Max, Charles — whoever. I don’t care.”

But before any of that becomes real, there’s one unavoidable truth. None of it matters if he can’t get past Justin Gaethje. What makes this moment pivotal is that Pimblett finally has the one opportunity critics say he’s lacked: a chance to shut them up without excuses. What he does next at UFC 324 has the potential to decide whether Usman Nurmagomedov’s words age like prophecy or like bitterness from the outside looking in!