Paddy Pimblett says there is one title defense he would never make, and he would give up the belt to avoid it. The Liverpool lightweight told Kolos MMA that if he were champion and teammate George Staines became the top contender, he would move up a weight class and vacate rather than fight him.
Pimblett, 31, is still chasing his first UFC title. His most recent shot ended in a unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje in the interim lightweight championship fight in January, and he has stayed in the title conversation since, with a long-running rivalry against Ilia Topuria still on the table.
Asked about the hypothetical, Pimblett shut it down flatly. He says the fighters at Next Generation MMA Liverpool train together every day and treat the gym as a family, summing up his bond with Staines as “More family than teammates.” In his view, nobody in that room would ever fight each other, regardless of what was on the line.
Staines, a 26-year-old from Hull, has signed with the UFC after headlining week eight of Dana White’s Contender Series Season 10 against Loai Abushaar last month. He is now working to build his own career in the lightweight division that Pimblett is trying to conquer.
For now the question is purely theoretical. Pimblett still has to get back to a title fight before he can worry about who might challenge him for it, but he made clear where the line is if that day ever comes.
