"My first title defence could be Conor McGregor" - Paddy Pimblett reveals his three-fight plan post-Michael Chandler clash

Paddy Pimblett will face Michael Chandler at UFC 314, and outlined his plans for the future should he emerge victorious on the night. Next on his agenda is heading up to face the top-five guys, fighting for his place amongst the elite before making a serious run at the championship.

He hopes to eventually capture the 155-pound strap and subsequently defend it against Conor McGregor at Anfield, as he believes it would be the biggest and most lucrative fight of his career.

Speaking to SHAK MMA, Pimblett said:

"Obviously, everyone wants the Conor fight, but personally, my plan is to fight a top-five opponent, then fight for the belt, and then I don't care who they are, to be honest.Top-tier opponent, fight for the belt, and then my first title defense could be Conor McGregor at Anfield. That would be perfect. I like that because that's where the money is—me and Conor at Anfield."

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments in the video below: (05:34)

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Paddy Pimblett criticizes Ilia Topuria for vacating featherweight title and avoiding tough competition

In the same interview, Paddy Pimblett slammed Ilia Topuria for vacating his featherweight title and moving up in weight, suggesting that 'El Matador' chose to avoid the competition he had awaiting him at 145 pounds.

He also questioned why Topuria, who previously mocked his physique, claimed he could not make 145 pounds. He also went on to add that he believes Topuria does not deserve an immediate title shot, and that he should first fight one of the top three at lightweight.

Pimblett said:

"I was thinking, wow, we’re stupid—why has he moved up to this division? He’s tiny, like 5'5" or 5'6". I don’t understand why he has the audacity to call me fat when he’s saying he can’t make 145 anymore. It just doesn’t make sense. I think he ran from 145 because he knew Volkanovski, even coming off a knockout loss 12 weeks earlier, would give him a much tougher fight than their first one. He also had Evloev and Lopez to fight, so I would have had a lot more respect for him if he had defended that belt two more times."

He added:

"If he had done that, I think he could have kept his belt instead of vacating it and moving up to fight Islam or whoever holds the title at the time. But I don’t think he deserves a straight title shot, and I don’t think the UFC believes he does either. He’s going to have to fight someone in the top three if he wants to earn another shot at the championship."

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments in the video below:(6:27)