Don't rankings get updated tomorrow? If so, might invalidate what I'm about to say, but...
Paddy -- technically speaking -- is on a four-fight win streak right now. If he were any other up-and-comer in the same spot, everyone would be fully expecting him to either fight a ranked opponent or at the very least fight one of the guys in the Top 20/Top 25. Someone like Kutateladze, Moises, Dober, Green, Alvarez, Gillespie, Riddell, CDF, Klose, etc. The types of dudes who are only one or two good wins away from getting into the rankings themselves (or back into the rankings in some cases).
The way I see it, the UFC has two paths here.
1.) They can slow their roll and book him against a step down in competition while allowing him to headline or co-headline the upcoming London card against a very winnable opponent. This would be, in my mind, more or less a tacit admission on their part that they believe he lost to Gordon and that his ceiling is not as high as they (and his fans) hoped. You can't be 4-0 and go from fighting Jared Gordon to headlining against, say... Trey Ogden, Natan Levy, etc. At best if they go this route they'll give him someone along the lines of Mike Davis, Ludovit Klein, Clay Guida, Mike Trizano, or Claudio Puelles who -- while challenging -- are largely hit-or-miss names that are ranked lower in the global Lightweight standings and present more winnable fights for Paddy.
2.) The UFC can decide to strike while the iron is hot and use this opportunity to get Paddy into the rankings right now while they and their golden boy have a chance... by having him take the big spot in London against none other than El Cucuy. Tony is #15 at the moment and won't be there for long given recent "trends" in the man's career and in the division. Ferguson is the only remotely favorable match-up for Paddy in the Top 15 and even then I don't consider Pimblett some overwhelming 5-to-1 favorite against Ferguson or anything. But soon Tony will fall out of the rankings and further into obscurity and he'll be replaced in that #15 slot by some killer like Dober or Guram who Paddy has exceedingly little chance of beating.
Not sure which route they'll go.
I remembered Bobby winning and forgot the epic comeback lol
