Ilia Topuria sounds off on rival: 'Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now?'

USA Today

15 hours ago

Ilia Topuria sounds off on rival: 'Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now?'
Ilia Topuria wants to put his rivalry with Paddy Pimblett to rest by meeting in the octagon.
It's clear that the two parties don't like each other, but their paths have never aligned to meet inside the cage to exchange more than insults behind a microphone. Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) recently vacated the UFC featherweight title to move up to the lightweight division, where Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) resides.
Even though they will both be in the same division, a few things will likely need to happen for the promotion to feel like the fight makes sense. Topuria will challenge former champion Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317, while Pimblett, ranked No. 8 by the promotion, is coming off a win over former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314 and does not yet have another fight scheduled.
Topuria recalls Pimblett comparing their careers at the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference, when they shared a pay-per-view card. Pimblett fought in the co-main event against Jared Gordon while Topuria fought in the main card opener against Bryce Mitchell.
"He's a hypocrite," Topuria told ESPN Deportes in Spanish. "I'll tell you, I remember we shared a press conference once, and he said something like, 'I'm fighting in the main card, and you're on the prelims,' some kind of nonsense. And now I'm thinking, I have two belts. Where are you? Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now and why would he deserve to fight me right now?"
Since sharing the stage at that press conference, Topuria captured the 145-pound title two fights later, while Pimblett has continued his steady ascent at 155 pounds. The two have continued to take shots at each other in various interviews over the years, but Topuria is now eager to just settle things once and for all when it counts. So much so that Topuria says he'd pick Pimblett if he could choose his next opponent – to not only put their rivalry to rest, but to also add another finish to his record.
"Honestly, if I could choose a fight, I would fight him because I hate him," Topuria said. "He's a pain in the ass. I'd love to give that fight to the fans, because for a long time, I believe that in the UFC, you haven't seen a real fight. Two people who really want to fight each other, and what better way than to fight in front of everyone and put on a show? I know what's going to happen, and it won't be good for him."