Paddy Pimblett says he is open to fighting Conor McGregor at welterweight while he waits for a lightweight title shot

Paddy Pimblett is positioning himself for the next leap in the UFC, and he is willing to change gears to do it. With a lightweight title shot still the stated goal, Pimblett told reporters he would be open to fighting Conor McGregor at welterweight after his scheduled UFC 329 co-main event on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The opening plan for Pimblett is straightforward in concept but complicated in practice. He is awaiting a lightweight title opportunity, and he knows that simply winning in his next high-profile appearance may not automatically translate into being next in line. In the lead-up to UFC 329, top lightweight contenders Arman Tsarukyan and Charles Oliveira were reported to be coming off wins, reinforcing that the division’s path to the belt is unlikely to open with one result alone.

Pimblett’s immediate test at UFC 329 is against Benoit Saint Denis, a fight framed as a measuring stick for his title ambitions. According to the report, Pimblett enters the co-main with a professional record of 23-4 overall and 7-1 in the UFC. Saint Denis is listed at 17-3 overall and 9-3 in the UFC, giving the bout a clear sense of stakes even before any title talk is considered.

The fight-week tension for Pimblett is also tied to what happens after UFC 329. The report states that Pimblett understands a win over Saint Denis in the co-main will not necessarily be enough to force the UFC’s hand toward a lightweight title shot. That is the reason the conversation has broadened beyond the lightweight division, landing on a potential matchup with McGregor.

McGregor’s name carries its own gravity in the sport, even when weight class becomes part of the discussion. By saying he is willing to fight McGregor at welterweight, Pimblett is effectively indicating that his interest is not limited to a single route to the championship conversation. For the UFC, that type of flexibility can be attractive if it aligns with how the promotion is sequencing marquee bouts.

Pimblett’s comments also highlight how quickly momentum can move in the modern UFC. With multiple lightweight contenders reportedly fresh off wins and the belt still within reach for top-ranked names, challengers often have to balance ambition with realism. A victory can elevate a fighter, but it does not always erase the UFC’s longer-term matchmaking plan.

Looking ahead to UFC 329, Pimblett’s willingness to consider welterweight is likely to keep the focus on his fight performance more than the schedule he hopes for. If he dispatches Saint Denis in convincing fashion, it will strengthen his case, but the reported logic remains unchanged: he may still need to wait for the lightweight title picture to settle before he gets the opportunity he wants. Meanwhile, his openness to McGregor keeps a high-profile alternative on the table if negotiations and division timing line up.

For fans, the central question coming out of this week is whether Pimblett’s best claim to the belt will come strictly from the lightweight division, or whether the UFC’s broader appetite for cross-division marquee matchups will pull him into a different headline path. Either way, UFC 329 becomes the pivotal checkpoint that determines what “next” looks like for a fighter trying to translate momentum into a title shot.