Should his original post-fight call-up at UFC 304 fall through, Paddy Pimblett has at least one other name in mind.

Pimblett was one of the biggest winners at the pay-per-view event that took place last weekend at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England. He was one of several hometown fighters who competed.

“The Baddy” put in one of the night’s standout performances by knocking lightweight King Green unconscious with a triangle choke, earning him the victory by technical submission in the very first round.

As a result, Pimblett has made his debut in the top 15, meaning there is a whole new set of potential opponents lurking for the Liverpool native. One in particular has caught the eye of former Cage Warriors champion Renato Moicano who received the Octagon callout at UFC 304.

Moicano is expected to headline UFC Fight Night in Paris, France in September, opposite Benoît Saint Denis.

Should the outcome of that confrontation mean a fight with the Brazilian doesn’t happen, Pimblett wouldn’t mind fighting one of Moicano’s compatriots instead…

Pimblett open to ‘slapping’ Dos Anjos for previous tweets

During a backstage interview with Full Send MMA, Pimblett reflected on his performance at UFC 304 and assessed what could be the next step in his journey up the lightweight division.

While he reiterated that he wanted to share the Octagon with Renato Moicano, Pimblett also had another name in mind: former champion Rafael dos Anjos, who is ranked one spot above him in the 155-pound division.

“There are some names. Renato did beat Jalin,” Pimblett said, ruling out Turner as an option. “I’ve heard dos Anjos himself say he’s going to welterweight; he’s not fighting lightweight anymore. So you never know, I could go higher than 15 in the rankings if ‘RDAs’ go up.

“I’ve seen ‘RDA’ tweet about me in the past. So if he wants his head bashed in, I’ll bashed him in,” Pimblett continued. “But like I said, I’m thinking more of Moicano.”

Despite suggesting his lightweight tenure was over following a knockout loss to Rafael Fiziev in 2022, “RDA” made an unsuccessful return to the division last March against Mateusz Gamrot at UFC 299 in Miami.

After that setback, the Brazilian once again suggested that he would only consider competing at welterweight in the future. But perhaps his earlier comments about Pimblett and the flashy nature of that bout could draw him back to 155 pounds.

Following “The Baddy”‘s win over Tony Ferguson last December, “RDA” called Pimblett “terrible” and insisted he didn’t even need a fight to beat him in the cage.