Imago
Credits: IMAGO
Imago
Credits: IMAGO
.Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett have a history of bad blood. Remember the hand sanitizer bottle-throwing incident at UFC Fight Night London back in 2022? That moment sparked a heated rivalry. But when the Georgian-Spaniard made the move down to featherweight, it seemed like all possibilities of a clash fizzled out. Now, though, the stars might finally be aligning—and we could be on track to see who gets the last laugh.
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Ever since the Georgian-Spaniard made his move to the 155 lbs division, a potential clash with Paddy Pimblett has become a hot topic in every interview. So when Ilia Topuria was asked about it on ESPN Deportes, he didn’t hold back: “Who the f–k is Paddy Pimblett? If I could choose to fight, I would fight him—because I hate him.” Of course, ‘The Baddy’ wasn’t going to stay quiet either. He clapped back with a fiery response of his own.
Paddy Pimblett hopes Ilia Topuria calls him out after UFC 317
Paddy Pimblett has always viewed Ilia Topuria as his sworn nemesis—and he’s been chasing that fight ever since their rivalry first exploded. So, the Liverpudlian isn’t ready to let the fight slip away. He even sees shades of McGregor vs. Aldo in their feud and firmly believes the UFC would book it in a heartbeat. Especially if the former 145-pound kingpin calls him out after UFC 317.
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‘The Baddy told Tom Aspinall in a recently uploaded YouTube video, “If Ilia wins and says he wants to fight me, the UFC will make that fight. Because they know it’s a money fight. That’s one of them fights where they’ll do a f—ing world press tour like McGregor vs. Aldo. “I know I’d beat him. Funny cause I get laughed at for it. But I know I beat him.”
Imago
April 12, 2025, Miami, Fl, Miami, Fl, United States: Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout at UFC 314 – Volkanovski vs Lopes at Kesaya Center on April 12, 2025 in Miami, FL /PxImages Miami, Fl United States – ZUMAp175 20250412_zsa_p175_412 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
That’s a bold claim from Pimblett, but his performance against Michael Chandler at UFC 314 fueled him with a lot of self-belief. So, he can cause problems for Topuria, given that he showed excellent grappling in his last outing. However, ‘El Matador’ has to win against Oliveira first, which, anyway, is not going to be an easy task in itself. Then we can dream about the potential grudge match.
However, it has to be acknowledged that Pimblett vs. Topuria would be nothing short of a blockbuster. And knowing that the Liverpudlian has already started plotting and crafting game plans for how he’d deal with ‘El Matador’—if they meet in the near future.
Pimblett plans to have a boxing match with Ilia Topuria
The former 145-pound king’s power is no secret. He first battered Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298, then made history by becoming the first man to knock out Max Holloway at UFC 308. Those two feats alone have been enough to make most fighters think twice before stepping into range of Topuria’s nuclear hands. But Paddy Pimblett? He wants to meet him using his all-around MMA skills.
Paddy continued in the Tom Aspinall interview, “I know how to beat him. No one goes for his weaknesses when they fight. Everyone just decides to have a boxing match with him. I’m not going to come out and have a boxing match with him. I’m going to beat him with my all-around MMA game. As I said, I know I’d beat him up. And I reckon I’d proper hurt him and just shut everyone up even more, like I love to do.”
That definitely would be the best way to beat a menacing threat like Ilia Topuria. However, the Georgian Spaniard also has a background in Greco-Roman wrestling, which he hasn’t shown us much, because the fight usually ends with a right hand. But including a variety of kicks has always been a staple game plan against him.
That said, it would be really interesting to see an improved Paddy and Topuria squashing their beef inside the Octagon. Do you feel the same? Comment below.
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Edited by
Jyotsna Rai