What next for Pimblett after statement win?

Paddy Pimblett earned the most significant win of his career with an impressive third-round stoppage of Michael Chandler at UFC 314.

Briton Pimblett outclassed the American on the feet and the ground for a victory which will move into the top 10 of the lightweight rankings.

UFC commentator Jon Anik welcomed Pimblett "to the elite" after his triumph in Miami, Florida, while the promotion's president Dana White described the 30-year-old as the "real deal".

Victory is Pimblett's seventh since joining the UFC in 2021 - the second-longest win streak in the lightweight division after champion Islam Makhachev's 15.

Pimblett said in the build-up to the contest that, should he beat Chandler, he would be targeting one more win this year before a title shot in 2026.

In his post-fight interview Pimblett mentioned a number of fighters he would be interested in fighting, so here's what could be next.

Charles Oliveira is the fight Pimblett wants the most.

The Brazilian is second in the lightweight rankings, a former champion who holds the record for most finishes in the promotion's history with 20.

Pimblett sees the bout as an opportunity to prove himself as the better submission artist.

Oliveira's 16 submission victories is also a UFC record, while Pimblett has made three of his seven UFC opponents tap out.

"I want to be a world champion and beating a former champion in Oliveira... he gets called the best submission artist the world has ever seen," said Pimblett.

"So I'd love to go up against that because I think I've got better submissions than him."

Like Oliveira, Dustin Poirier is a future UFC Hall of Famer, with many regarding him as the best fighter to never win an undisputed title.

He beat fellow American Max Holloway for the interim lightweight belt in 2019 but has missed out on the undisputed championship on three occasions.

The 36-year-old lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2019, Oliveira in 2021 and Makhachev last year.

There has been speculation that Poirier's next fight is likely to be his retirement bout, so the contest could represent a significant occasion for Pimblett.

Like Poirier, Justin Gaethje is another fine athlete who has never made the last step to winning undisputed gold.

The 36-year-old American won the interim belt against Tony Ferguson in 2020 but came up short against Nurmagomedov in 2020 and Oliveira in 2022 when attempting to become champion.

Alongside Poirier and Oliveria, Pimblett mentioned Gaethje as one of the "legends" in the division he wants to test himself against.

"These are all names etched in the history of the lightweight division - names people recognise and love - so beating them would be boss," said Pimblett.

Former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria vacated his belt in February to move up to lightweight.

The Georgian-Spaniard has history with Pimblett, with the pair clashing backstage at UFC London in 2022.

Topuria's rise to the top has been rapid since that altercation, but with Pimblett's win over Chandler and the pair now in the same weight division, a fight is becoming a more realistic prospect.

After his win over Chandler, Pimblett opened the door to a potential future meeting.

"I'd love to welcome him to 155lb but apparently he's sitting out and waiting for a title shot," said Pimblett.

"I'd forgotten about him, that's how irrelevant he is. What I've just done to Chandler is half the blueprint to beating him."

Armenia's Arman Tsarukyan is the final fighter Pimblett mentioned after stopping Chandler.

The 28-year-old Armenian is top of the lightweight rankings and was set to fight Makhachev for the title in January, before withdrawing the day before the bout with injury.

White has hinted that Tsarukyan will not get an immediate opportunity at a title shot once he has recovered, opening the door to a potential bout with Pimblett.

Tsarukyan wrote on X, external last week that Pimblett has had "the easiest path to the top in the UFC" and challenged him to call him out after beating Chandler.

Pimblett obliged, calling Tsarukyan a "sausage".