Paddy Pimblett will officially fight for the UFC Lightweight Title in January – but not against current champion and bitter arrival Ilia Topuria.
Topuria looks set to vacate his 155-pound belt, meaning Pimblett will fight for the vacant lightweight crown in January.
Paddy Pimblett Set UFC Lightweight Title Shot Confirmed
Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett was confirmed for UFC 324 main event in Las Vegas in January for the UFC Lightweight Title, but it now sounds like that fight is dead in the water.
Instead of fighting bitter rival Topuria for the lightweight crown in the New Year, Pimblett will instead fight for the vacant 155-pound belt with rumours of ‘El Matador’ vacating.
Pimblett and Topuria clashed at UFC Qatar, with ‘The Baddy’ supporting gym mate Luke Riley on his UFC debut and ‘El matador’ supporting his brother who fought on the same card.
Although the pair had a brief back and forth during their trip to Qatar, it seems that the fight won’t happen anytime soon due to Topuria relinquishing the 155-pound belt.
This means that Pimblett won’t get his shot at Topuria, but remains set to fight for the vacant lightweight strap instead.
Pimblett is currently ranked #5 at lightweight, with just the current champion Topuria and four other contenders above him in the rankings.
With the Liverpudlian seemingly being granted a vacant shot thanks to Topuria vacating the UFC Lightweight Title, questions are being asked as to who he will fight in January for the belt.
PADDYS fighting for the strap in JAN …
Obviously can't disclose who but ya heard it here first .. AND ITLL SURPRISE ALOT OF YA !! … official announcement this week … STEVE NEVER MISSES ON THE BADMAN NEWS … ever ….
👊🏻🇨🇦👊🏻 #UFC324 pic.twitter.com/f5rwa4sXXR— steve jeffs (@steves_simpson) November 26, 2025
Who Will Paddy Pimblett Fight For UFC Lightweight Title After Ilia Topuria Vacates?
SportsCasting reported in November that Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett was in doubt, and it turns out this is most definitely the case with the fight now officially off.
With Topuria rumoured to be vacating his UFC Lightweight Title, this leaves the door open for ‘The Baddy’ to challenge for the vacant belt in the New Year. But who exactly will Pimblett face for the lightweight crown?
As the current #5 ranked 155-pounder on the UFC roster, it is guaranteed that Pimblett will face one of the four fighters ranked above him for the vacant lightweight belt in the New Year.
The four names ranked above Pimblett are former champion Charles Oliveira, former featherweight king Max Holloway, #1 contender Arman Tsarukyan and two-time lightweight title challenger Justin Gaethje.
Pimblett will undoubtedly fight one of these four names for the vacant belt in January, perhaps even in the main or co-main event of UFC 324, depending on what other fights get announced.
With Oliveira vs Holloway looking likely for a super-fight next year for the BMF belt, this leaves either Tsarukyan or Gaethje for the lightweight crown.
As the leading contender, Tsarukyan is the obvious choice. However, January will be a quick turn around for him after fighting at UFC Qatar on November 22. This leaves a clash with ‘The Highlight’ as the front-runner for Pimblett.
Gaethje refused to fight Pimblett next as he demanded a shot at Topuria and the lightweight crown, but it seems the fight has legs now given the fact it would be for the 155-pound belt.
With confirmation that Pimblett will fight for the vacant lightweight title, it looks like Pimblett vs Gaethje could well be on for early next year.
