Dan Hooker Supports Paddy Pimblett for Title Shot Against Justin Gaethje
Dan Hooker has seen enough of how the UFC does business to trust his instincts. And his instinct says this: Paddy Pimblett is getting another crack at Justin Gaethje – this time with the undisputed lightweight title on the line.
It sounds wild on merit. It makes perfect sense on brand.
From “Supposed to Win” to Second Chance?
Back in January at UFC 324, the script looked written for Pimblett. Headlining against Gaethje for the interim lightweight belt, the Scouser walked in as the favorite and the promotion’s long-nurtured project at 155. Gaethje ripped that script to shreds.
Across five rounds, the American outworked Pimblett and walked away with a unanimous decision and the interim title. The upset did more than hand Pimblett his first big-stage stumble; it flipped the division’s power dynamic. Gaethje took the belt and with it a shot at then-champion Ilia Topuria.
Gaethje didn’t waste that chance either. At UFC Freedom 250, he stunned Topuria with a performance that reminded everyone why he’s one of the most dangerous men in the sport, unifying the lightweight crown in a result few had predicted.
Pimblett, meanwhile, could easily have drifted out of the title conversation. He didn’t. At UFC 329, he produced the kind of moment matchmakers love: a statement win. Submitting Benoit Saint Denis in emphatic fashion, he yanked himself straight back into relevance and, crucially, back into the UFC’s promotional plans.
That’s the backdrop to Hooker’s prediction.
Hooker: “They’re Just Sliding Paddy Into a Title Fight”
Speaking on Submission Radio, Hooker didn’t dance around it.
“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 said.
No caveats. No diplomatic detours. In Hooker’s view, Gaethje’s star power, Pimblett’s name value, and the UFC’s appetite for big-ticket fights all point in the same direction: a rematch.
It’s not the clean, rankings-driven choice. It’s the money choice.
Merit vs. Marketability
Strip away the noise and the sporting case is clear. On pure merit, the next title shot should belong to the winner of the UFC 331 co-main event between Arman Tsarukyan and Mauricio Ruffy. Both men have grafted their way toward contention, and a decisive victory there would normally seal a date with the champion at 155 lbs.
There’s also Charles Oliveira lurking. The former champion has stitched together two straight wins and remains one of the division’s most accomplished operators. A rematch between Oliveira and Gaethje would be easy to justify on competitive grounds.
But the UFC doesn’t operate on merit alone. It never has.
Pimblett is one of the biggest names in the lightweight division, maybe the biggest. The promotion has spent years building his profile, positioning him as a future title challenger, feeding him the right stages at the right time. Even his loss to Gaethje at UFC 324 came with the subtext that he was “supposed” to win.
He didn’t. Yet his submission of Saint Denis changed the mood. That win didn’t just repair his record; it restored his momentum. And in the UFC, momentum plus marketability often outweighs a tidy contenders’ ladder.
The UFC’s Favorite
This is where Hooker’s read feels so plausible. Gaethje now holds the undisputed belt. He’s the kind of champion who relishes chaos and highlight-reel violence, not someone who insists on a rigid, rankings-only approach. If he’s happy to welcome Pimblett back into the cage, the UFC has every reason to nod along.
The promotion knows what a Gaethje–Pimblett rematch sells: redemption arc versus defending chaos king, a fan-favorite champion against a polarizing star the company has invested in heavily. It’s easy to market. It’s easy to headline. It’s easy to justify with a few well-cut promos and a reminder that Pimblett already shared 25 minutes with the champ.
The purists will argue for Tsarukyan, for Ruffy, for Oliveira. They’ll talk about merit and queues and earned shots.
The UFC, historically, has leaned on something else: star power and timing. On both counts, Paddy Pimblett is right where they want him.
If Dan Hooker is right, the next lightweight title fight won’t answer who deserves it most. It will answer a different question entirely: can Pimblett rewrite the story Gaethje already authored once, under brighter lights and with the whole division watching?
