Dan Hooker Predicts Paddy Pimblett's Title Shot Against Justin Gaethje

Dan Hooker has seen enough of how the UFC does business to make a blunt prediction: Paddy Pimblett is probably getting the next crack at Justin Gaethje’s lightweight title.

The New Zealander, a veteran of the division and no stranger to its politics, believes Pimblett is being lined up for a second shot at Gaethje – this time with the undisputed belt on the line.

“He’s the champ, he can do whatever the (expletive) he wants… Some champs can’t, but Justin Gaethje can… For sure they’re just sliding Paddy Pimblett into a title fight, that’s probably what they’re gonna do,” Hooker told Submission Radio, laying out the scenario as he sees it.

From upset loss to title talk again

Pimblett’s path to another title opportunity has been anything but straightforward.

Back at UFC 324 in January, the Liverpool star walked into the main event against Gaethje as the favorite. The bout was framed as his coronation, the night the UFC’s heavily promoted lightweight finally claimed gold. Instead, Gaethje tore up the script.

The American outworked Pimblett over five rounds, earned a unanimous decision, and walked away with the interim lightweight title — along with a date against then-champion Ilia Topuria.

That win looked big at the time. It looks enormous now.

Gaethje went on to stun Topuria at UFC Freedom 250, turning what many expected to be Topuria’s era into Gaethje’s showcase. It was a major upset, capped by an outstanding performance that cemented Gaethje as the undisputed king at 155 pounds.

Pimblett, meanwhile, had to rebuild. He did it in emphatic fashion.

At UFC 329, he submitted Benoit Saint Denis in a result that jolted the division. The Scouser didn’t just steady the ship; he yanked himself back into the conversation at the very top of the weight class.

That’s the backdrop to Hooker’s prediction. A champion with star power. A challenger the promotion has invested in for years. A ready-made rematch with a storyline the UFC can sell in seconds.

Merit vs. marketability

On pure sporting merit, Pimblett is far from the only – or even the clearest – option.

The co-main event at UFC 331 between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy carries serious implications. The winner there has a strong case to be next in line for the belt at 155 lbs, based on form and strength of schedule.

There’s also Charles Oliveira. The former champion has quietly stacked two straight wins and remains one of the most dangerous fighters in the division. A rematch between Oliveira and Gaethje would make sense on competitive grounds and would hardly be a tough sell.

That’s the sporting side of the argument.

The business side looks very different.

Pimblett is one of the biggest names in the lightweight division, a fighter the UFC has pushed, protected, and promoted with clear intent. When he lost to Gaethje at UFC 324, it wasn’t just an upset; it was a derailment of a carefully laid plan.

His submission of Saint Denis changed the temperature again. Suddenly, the narrative flipped from “exposed” to “resurgent.” The UFC doesn’t need much more than that to justify another title shot for one of its favorites.

Hooker knows it. The fans probably know it too, even if many won’t like it.

The rankings might point one way. The UFC’s matchmaking history points another. And when those two collide, the company usually follows the noise and the numbers.

Gaethje has the belt. Pimblett has the spotlight. The question now is whether the promotion is willing to tell the division, once again, to wait its turn.