Paddy Pimblett issues chilling warning to huge UFC rival with brutal message
Paddy Pimblett has reignited his feud with Ilia Topuria after firing a brutal verbal jab at the former featherweight champion.
The duo have traded barbs on numerous occasions over recent years, and despite a slight moment of mutual respect at UFC London in March, the rivalry remains intense. Since joining the UFC ranks, Pimblett has maintained an unbeaten streak and is regarded as one of the promotion's top stars.
With victories against the likes of Tony Ferguson and King Green, 'The Baddy' claimed his most significant triumph to date last month, with a savage knockout of ex-Bellator lightweight king Michael Chandler. The Scouser recently took a dig at Topuria, dismissing him as 'irrelevant' in the race for the lightweight crown.
Topuria's step up to 155lb to battle Charles Oliveira for the vacant title was recently confirmed, setting the stage for a mouthwatering clash at UFC 317 during International Fight Week in Vegas. If 'El Matador' secures the two-division champion status, he might opt to defend his title against Pimblett first.
Should the dust-up happen, Pimblett plans on brutally finishing his long-time rival. In a recent post to Instagram, the British star posted a photo of him kicking Chandler in the head along with a chilling messaged aimed at Topuria. 'Can't wait to land one of these on el chorizo,' Pimblett posted.
Topuria has yet to reply to the recent comments. Pimblett previously accused Topuria of being 'hand-fed' opponents by the UFC, stating: "He has done a lot in the sport, but I do still think he's been hand-fed opponents," and elaborated on his views about Topuria's past fights.
"[Max] Holloway had just been fighting at 155 [pounds], had a war with [Justin] Gaethje. Volk [Alexander Volkanovski] had just been knocked out like two months earlier. Josh Emmett was like 37. Bryce [Mitchell], as much as I love Bryce, we know he's not a striker. Every fight he had before the title, Michael Chandler beats every single one of them. I reckon Bobby Green beats every single one of them."
Regarding his future, the Liverpudlian is eyeing a clash with Justin Gaethje in October to earn a shot at the UFC lightweight title. "I know for a fact if I beat Gaethje, I'm next in line. Definitely. It could be (the next fight)," Pimblett told TNT Sports. "It's just if he says yeah or not. Because he's fighting down the rankings again. Abu Dhabi. October. That pay-per-view. That's when I want to fight. That's what I'll be gearing towards. After what I've done to (Michael) Chandler, I think I finish Justin Gaethje... Yeah, that'd be nice [to fight Gaethje].
'But I was thinking about it the other day: It's probably better if Ilia wins the belt, because he'll probably call me out and then I could just fight him. Maybe I wouldn't even fight Gaethje, [and I could] just fight Topuria... It'd be far better for my career if Ilia wins because I'd, more than likely, be his first title defence.'
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