Paddy Pimblett doesn’t want to be in a situation like Tom Aspinall was.

Lightweight champion Ilia Topuria is going through a divorce and has taken a short hiatus from the sport. Meanwhile, Pimblett will fight Justin Gaethje for an interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on Jan. 24 in Las Vegas. Pimblett (23-3) is concerned about the immediate future if he beats Gaethje (26-5) at UFC 324. Pimblett believes he might have to sit out for a long time waiting for a title unifier against Topuria. Pimblett doesn’t want to be left waiting for Topuria like his fellow countryman, Aspinall, was left waiting for Jon Jones. While “The Baddy” wants to fight Topuria, he would rather that the champion vacate the belt than hold up the division.

The Waiting Game

“People are saying Ilia’s not gonna be back for at least a year,” Pimblett recently told Aspinall. “People are saying it could get messy and it could end up being like two years. If he’s gonna sit out for that long I’d rather him just vacate and stop holding the division up. But I do want to fight him… I want to beat Ilia though and show everyone that I can beat him. But at the same time, if he’s gonna have me waiting like Tom was waiting for Jon, then no.”

Aspinall (15-3) won the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich in 2023, when Jones was forced out of a scheduled title defence against Stipe Miocic due to an injury. Despite Aspinall being the interim champion, Jones insisted on defending his title against Miocic upon his return in 2024. Meanwhile, Aspinall went on to defend the interim title against Curtis Blaydes. Despite promises from Dana White about a title unifier between Jones and Aspinall, “Bones” refused to accept the fight. Aspinall was finally promoted to undisputed champion following Jones’ retirement in June 2025. Aspinall put his title on the line against Ciryl Gane in October, returning to action after more than a year. The fight ended in an anticlimactic no-contest after a double eye poke from Gane left Aspinall unable to continue.