Despite losing the interim lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January, many supporters still believe that Paddy Pimblett could finally become the king of peace at 155 pounds. After all, it all went with the Liverpudlian Gaethje, while Ilia Topuria, a two-time champion in his own right, was forced to retire after four rounds against the American at UFC Freedom 250.
Pimblett also made a statement at UFC 329 in his return, submitting Benoit Saint-Denis in just 52 seconds to remind everyone that he remains a major player in the lightweight division.
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Whether the Englishman will eventually capture UFC gold remains to be seen, but Pimblett has already made one thing clear: he would rather give up the title than have one of his closest partners fight for it.
Paddy Pimblett Rules Out Fighting Next Generation MMA Teammate George Stanes in UFC
During Week 8 of Dana White’s Contender Series season last month, George Staines made headlines when Loai Abushaar delivered a huge slam just 61 seconds into the fight. It was the first finish in DWCS history, and Pimblett and Lucas Riley were both team mates at Meta APEX in Las Vegas for support.
Also read: “He Wanted To Be On Top Again” – Joe Rogan Explains Why Conor McGregor Is Back At UFC 329 After Five Years
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Instead, the 20-year-old lightweight trains to Next Generation MMA Liverpool, in the same gym where Pimblett built his career. And the Englishman recently revealed that he’d rather move up a weight class than make his case for UFC gold.
When asked about a potential fight with Stanes, Pimblett told Kolos MMA: “No, we will never fight. Nobody in our gym does that.”
he added, “every day we train together. More family than teammates. We would never do that. If I had a few defenses and he was close, I would move and leave.”
Hull-born Stanes is now officially part of the UFC and will look to build on the impressive start to his professional career. This stunning slam moved Abushaar to 11-0 as a professional, and it will be interesting to see how far the 26-year-old can go inside the Octagon.
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Meanwhile, Pimblett has his eyes on a return to the lightweight title image and could fight a grudge with Topuria. With Gaethje potentially facing Arman Tsarukyan in the first half of 2027 and Topuria already back to spare, Pimblett may have a big fight waiting for him towards the end of 2026.