Paddy Pimblett is gearing up for a UFC lightweight title run in 2025.
‘The Baddy cracked the top 15 by choking out Bobby Green at UFC 304 in July, and now Chael Sonnen believes that two more wins will be enough to earn him a shot at Islam Makhachev’s belt.
Paddy Pimblett recently teased fight news and sent fans into a frenzy as he suggested Michael Chandler would be his next opponent by using the American’s signature ‘See you at the top’ catchphrase.
However, the man Pimblett truly wants to face, Renato Moicano, recently named one of his former opponents as the 6-0 UFC prospect’s next opponent.
Renato Moicano reveals Paddy Pimblett’s next opponent
Pimblett was calling for a fight with Moicano before the streaking Brazilian contender got booked to face Beneil Dariush at UFC 311 on January 18.
A win over Dariush would put ‘Money’ on the brink of a title shot, which he believes he could secure by taking Max Holloway’s BMF belt after winning at Dana White’s first pay-per-view show of the year.
Still, he’d be willing to drop down the rankings for a fan-friendly clash with the uber-popular Pimblett.
“I will do what the UFC wants,” Moicano told MMA Fighting.
“If the UFC wants me to break his face, it’s going to be easy money. If not, I’ll move on and fight somebody else in the top five or for the title.
“Like I said, the title is good, but I want to build a brand. I want to build something bigger. A name, a persona, call it whatever you call it so after I’m done, I can capitalize on that.
“Like it or not, Paddy has a huge audience, he has a big name. That would be very good for my career so I would never say no.”
Moicano believes that Pimbeltt’s hype train will be derailed very soon.
The 35-year-old has heard a rumor about who the Englishman is fighting next, and it’s not Chandler.
Moicano added: “I think Paddy is fighting Benoit Saint-Denis, that’s what I heard, and I think Benoit Saint Denis will beat his a**. Then the hype is gone. That’s what I feel.
“Benoit Saint-Denis, people was hyping him a lot and then two losses, he’s kind of done. People think he’s going to lose to Paddy. I don’t think [that] but it’s just how MMA is. It’s just how it works. It’s all about the hype.”
Who is Benoit Saint-Denis?
Benoit Saint-Denis is the #12 ranked lightweight in the UFC.
The French knockout artist joined MMA’s premier promotion in 2021 and lost his promotional debut against welterweight fighter Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos.
After that, he dropped down a division and put together a five-bout win streak by knocking out Matt Frevola, Thiago Moises, and Gabriel Miranda.
Saint-Denis also tapped out Ismael Bonfim and Niklas Stolze during the incredible run that earned him a massive fight against former interim lightweight champion Dustin Poirier.
‘The Diamond’ knocked him out inside two rounds when they met at UFC 299 in March before Moicano overcame a horror injury to beat Saint-Denis inside eight minutes six months later.
Pimblett is a big-name opponent who could help Saint-Denis get his career back on track.
Only time will tell if Moicano’s prediction about Pimblett vs Saint-Denis comes true, or if the UFC decides to go in a different direction with the lightweight duo.
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