Paddy Pimblett is the odds-on favorite to beat Justin Gaethje and claim the interim lightweight belt Saturday in Las Vegas in the main event of UFC 324. Former titleholder Charles Oliveira could be next for him if Ilia Topuria’s projected return doesn’t come to fruition.
Topuria recently teased he would be back in the cage sometime between April and June to defend his belt against whoever wins the interim strap at T-Mobile Arena this weekend, but that’s still up in the air as he deals with personal issues.
Oliveira’s head coach and manager Diego Lima told MMA Fighting that the ideal plan for the Brazilian star is to challenge the winner of Gaethje vs. Pimblett next if he gets past “BMF” champion Max Holloway on March 7.
“It’s a fight that makes complete sense,” Lima said. “If Charles wins this fight, he earns his shot at the belt because of the performance he just had, because he’s been a champion before, because he competed for the belt again, and because of the win that, God willing, we’re going to get over Max Holloway. And Pimblett against Gaethje will be for the [interim] belt.”
Lima said he likes Topuria, who beat “do Bronx” to claim the 155-pound title in 2025, and would advise him to only fight again when his mind is focused solely on his athletic career.
“I don’t know exactly when Topuria will return,” Lima said. “I like him, he’s a great person and I really hope he solves his issues and comes back well because we know Topuria’s potential and talent, and we know a fighter has to step in there with a clear head. I hope he truly resolves his problems and comes back when he’s 100 percent so he can fight as the fighter he really is. I don’t know if that moment is now. So I really believe that, depending on how Charles’ fight goes and how Gaethje’s fight goes, we’ll have the timing for the belt.”
That timing, Lima said, could lead to Oliveira competing on the historic White House event in June.
“Let’s assume, best-case scenario, that Charles gets a win over Holloway and is injury-free, so he can come out ‘fresh’ for the next fight,” Lima said. “And the same thing happens with Gaethje and Pimblett. Then we might have the White House card. They want to make one of the biggest cards ever — actually, not want to, they’re going to put the biggest card in history. Why not take advantage of the fact that these two fights will be all over social media and pair them up straight to the White House? Anything can happen.”
Oliveira beat Gaethje in the past, a controversial week where Oliveira lost the belt on the scale before UFC 274 in Phoenix, and that’s one of the reasons why Lima would rather have his protégé face Pimblett instead.
“[Pimblett] must sell a lot. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be fighting for the belt, so that’s very important for us,” Lima said. “It wouldn’t be a rematch [like Gaethje], it would be a new fight and he would have the belt, which would be incredible. We’ll be ready for whoever wins, of course, but if we had to choose one, I think Pimblett would really be the name I’d prefer.”
And he expects Pimblett to come out victorious at UFC 324, too.
“I honestly believe Pimblett [wins] because of the moment he’s living,” Lima said. “I know people say, ‘If you add up his last fights, [the opponents] only have losses.’ I know a lot of people doubt him. I don’t doubt him. I think he’s a very good fighter, very talented. We know that the fact he’s English is very important because we had a big name in the UFC like [Michael] Bisping. Countries matter, and Pimblett came in to fill that gap and he’s doing it well. I think Gaethje has already had many opportunities. He’s extremely talented and extremely dangerous. I believe Gaethje is more dangerous than Pimblett, but I think Pimblett can get the win.”
Lima and Chute Boxe remain focused on Oliveira’s next move, which is to beat Holloway in a rematch at UFC 326 in Las Vegas after a submission win over Mateusz Gamrot this past October at UFC Rio in Brazil, but the horizon seems ideal for their three-fight master plan for 2026. If all goes well, “do Bronx” beats Holloway in March, reclaims the lightweight strap by June, and faces a “huge name” before the end of the year.
“God willing, if we get the results we want, if we manage to bring home the BMF win and regain that [lightweight] belt,” Lima said, “I believe we could put both belts on the line in one fight, which would be something incredible, something amazing, and for sure it would be against a huge name. It makes total sense. But of course, today our goal 100 percent is the next fight. The BMF [belt] really is our focus right now, that’s what we managed to secure after Charles’ last fight. Our goal this year is to win both belts so he can put one on each shoulder.”
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