Paddy Pimblett made his mark by winning his UFC debut in September and he could face the veteran Donald 'Cowboy' Cerrone in just his second fight for the promotion.
Pimblett suffered an early scare in his promotional debut against Luigi Vendramini but rallied to knockout the Brazilian at the end of the first round.
The Liverpudlian became a star overnight mostly for his post-fight interview in which he labelled Instagram as "lizards" for disabling his account.
Little has been heard regarding Pimblett's next fight, but MMA analyst Chael Sonnen has now revealed Cerrone could be next for him.
Sonnen and Cerrone - who are currently working on a movie together - were recently discussing Cerrone's next fight.
"I'm sitting with Cowboy in between doing takes, and Cowboy had told me two days ago ‘I am fighting March fifth'," Sonnen said.
"And he says, ‘what do you know about this Pimblam, Paddy, Pavley, Patty, Plimblin?’
Sonnen added: "I said 'you are talking about Paddy the Baddy'.
"So, he’s (Cerrone is) on something known as the Internet, he brings up Paddy. Paddy’s at 155. So, Cowboy starts saying ‘yeah, I think maybe this is my guy.
"I told Cowboy, that's exactly the kind of fight Dana is looking for - the old dog goes against the new shiny trinket."
The UFC currently have a pay-per-view event scheduled in Las Vegas for March 5, with just three fights being announced for the card so far.
Cerrone once challenged for the UFC lightweight title during his decade long stint in the promotion, but has been on the decline ever since.
The 38-year-old has dropped five of his last six fights, including stoppage losses to former champions Conor McGregor, Justin Gaethje and Tony Ferguson.
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Pimblett - who trains at Next Generation in Liverpool alongside UFC flyweight Molly McCann - won the Cage Warriors featherweight title in 2016.
The 26-year-old was one of this year's breakout stars in the UFC and he has vowed to soon reach the top of a talent-packed lightweight division.
"I know I am going to climb up the rankings pretty fast with my fighting style and personality," he told Mirror Fighting before his debut.
"It’s going to be nice getting in there with some of the best lightweights in the world, I’ll be privileged.
"But as I’ve said, I’m coming to take over and be the next star of the show. Everyone better believe it."
