Paddy Pimblett Predicts Gaethje vs. Tsarukyan and McGregor Return vs. Holloway, Topuria Next

Paddy Pimblett has laid out his own forecast for the lightweight division's next moves, predicting that Justin Gaethje will meet Arman Tsarukyan and that Max Holloway will welcome Conor McGregor back to the Octagon. If both fights come together, Pimblett suggested, Ilia Topuria could end up as his next opponent. None of it is official.

The predictions came in a recent interview and amount to Pimblett's read of where the 155-pound picture is heading rather than any announced matchmaking.

Pimblett is 24-4 and ranked fifth at lightweight. The 31-year-old Englishman trains out of Next Generation MMA Liverpool and has built his reputation on grappling. He averages 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes and 0.68 takedowns per 15 minutes, while landing 5.48 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy.

Gaethje, 37, is the lightweight champion at 28-5. The American out of Genesis Training Center is one of the division's most accurate strikers, connecting on 58 percent of his significant strikes and landing 6.48 per minute. He has attempted no submissions per 15 minutes in his Octagon career.

Holloway, 34, is 28-9 and ranks fourth at lightweight and ninth in the pound-for-pound list. The Hawaiian-born American's output is his calling card: 6.92 significant strikes landed per minute at 48 percent accuracy. He stands five-foot-eleven with a 69-inch reach.

Why it matters

• Pimblett's projected path would run through a reshuffled top of the division, with Gaethje, Tsarukyan, Holloway and McGregor all occupying key spots.
• A Gaethje-Tsarukyan fight would put the champion against a contender in a high-volume striking matchup.
• A Topuria bout for Pimblett would be a major step up, though it hinges entirely on the other fights playing out as he expects.
• Pimblett holds a 73-inch reach, the longest of the three fighters profiled here.

Nothing has been confirmed for any of the bouts Pimblett floated.