Paddy Pimblett opens door to Nate Diaz fight after accusing legend of trash talking him

UFC fan favourite Paddy Pimblett has admitted that he 'wouldn't say no' to a contest with MMA legend Nate Diaz - before seemingly offering a call-out to Colby Covington. The outspoken fighter is gearing up for his latest foray in the octagon as he prepares to face Bobby Green in Manchester.

The Liverpool-born lightweight star is vying to extend his unbeaten run to an eighth fight as he comes up against the American at Co-op Live Arena on July 27. However, it appears that the man known to fans as 'The Baddy' already has one eye on the future - not least due to the fact that his upcoming bout is the last on his current deal with the UFC.

With the MMA ace having already confirmed that he expects to be back on Dana White's books beyond the Green fight, he has been transparent about being open to the idea of a glamour bout versus either Diaz or Covington. In the case of the former, he starred in the lightweight division in the UFC during his time with the promotion, while the latter competes in the welterweight division.

Now, Pimblett has admitted that he would welcome the chance to test himself against either fighter. He told AceOdds: "Yeah, if Nate Diaz wants to fight me I wouldn't say no. If anyone wants to fight me, I wouldn't say no. We're fighters. I hate it when people say, oh he's scared to fight him.

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"We're fighters, we're not scared, otherwise we wouldn't get in the cage and fight. I'll fight anyone. I was talking about this the other day. I'd love to fight Colby. Colby, he's at welterweight but he's not a big welterweight, and I'm a big lightweight. I'd love to fight Colby Covington because he's a little piece of [...]. What he said about Leon's dad that time was disgusting. I'd [...] love to punch that little [...] head in."

When it comes to Diaz, who is a free agent after having last fought in the UFC in 2022, the Scouser spoke in glowing terms about his attributes, saying: "Diaz is a quality fighter, but he's a lot older now. So I'd probably use my speed advantage over him. He's a great boxer, so I'd try and kick a lot. And he's got world-class jiu-jitsu.

"He's been took down and held down by people before and as you know, Tony Ferguson's got world-class jiu-jitsu and I took him down and grapple [...[] him and he didn't stand a chance. So I think I'll probably do the same to Nate. But, I really liked Nate Diaz as well."

"I was saying that I liked Tony Ferguson before he started chatting shit at the press conference. I was always a Tony Ferguson fan and a Nate Diaz fan, but I'm sure he's tried to shit on me in the past as well. If it comes down to fighting them, it will get put on them."

As for the prospect of a move into the WWE in the future, it appears that 'The Baddy' is certainly ruling nothing out there either as he admitted that he enjoyed watching wrestling in his younger days. He said: "Yes, I have thought about that to be honest. I have because I used to love the WWE growing up.

"Shawn Michaels, the Heartbreak Kid is my favourite fighter. I'd love to Sweet Chin Music someone in the cage in the UFC. D-Generation X, when I was even younger, X-Pac was my favourite wrestler. So yeah, I would.

Pimblett added: "WWE pays big money as well and you've got to have a character, you've got to have a personality and I've got a personality, so it would work. So yeah, Triple H, if you ever wanted to sign me up, just let me know I'll make an appearance for some cash."