Paddy Pimblett Retaliates With Striking Warning After Ilia Topuria Issues Open Challenge

The rivalry between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett is nothing new—it dates back to 2021, when Pimblett made offensive remarks about the 2008 Russo-Georgian war, a painful chapter in Georgia’s history. Topuria, proud of his Georgian roots, didn’t take it lightly and warned Pimblett of the consequences. Tensions boiled over a year later at the fighter hotel after UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall press conference, where the two clashed in a heated altercation. Since then, they’ve traded jabs on and off, but their feud has escalated ever since Topuria made the jump to lightweight.

After Ilia Topuria relinquished his featherweight title, ‘El Matador’ had one request for the UFC — a shot at the 155 lbs gold. Following a long wait, and with the conclusion of UFC 315, Topuria was finally granted a title fight after Islam Makhachev decided to vacate the lightweight belt. Now, ‘El Matador’ is set to face Charles Oliveira for the vacant UFC lightweight title at UFC 317. This news rocked the lightweight division as Makhachev relinquished his title at a time when he was dominating everyone inside the Octagon. Well, guess who is happy about this decision other than Ilia Topuria? It’s Paddy Pimblett.

While speaking with TNT Sports, Paddy Pimblett asserted that if Ilia Topuria wins the belt at UFC 317, it would benefit his own career. “It’d be far better for my career if Ilia wins because I’d, more than likely, be his first title defense,” said Paddy Pimblett. Well, his comments did catch the attention of ‘El Matador.’

At a press conference, when a local reporter asked the former featherweight champion about Pimblett’s banter, Topuria took a cheeky jab at the Briton. “He knows where the money is now. He’s gotta pay for the parties he throws for himself.” In layman’s terms, Pimblett knows that fighting Topuria would definitely bring him a huge payday, but he should pray that his skills improve first. Guess what, the Briton has fired his shots against the Georgian-Spanish fighter after these comments as well. Uploading a photo of a headkick against Michael Chandler, Pimblett captioned it, “Can’t wait to land one of these on el chorizo.”

Pimblett is also targeting a fight against two-time title challenger and former interim lightweight champion Justin Gaethje. A win over Gaethje, Pimblett says, would cement his status as the number one contender at 155. ‘The Baddy’ might be forgetting names like Arman Tsarukyan and Dan Hooker, who are waiting on the sidelines. But the Englishman’s stock might just be the highest at the moment. And if Topuria wins, then Pimblett vs Topuria might be the storyline the UFC cashes in on. But that’s not the only hot take the former Cage Warriors champ had.

Paddy Pimblett is vocal about fighting Ilia Topuria, and after his dominant victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 314, ‘The Baddy’ is certain that he has what it takes to not only fight but dominate the former featherweight champion. Interestingly, Pimblett has also fired shots against the soon-to-be-former champion, Islam Makhachev, as well. How? Let’s find out.

 Paddy Pimblett believes Islam Makhachev made a bad decision

Islam Makhachev had always aspired to add a second title to his name, and Jack Della Maddalena’s victory over Belal Muhammad at UFC 315 opened the doors for this opportunity. Following the event, Makhachev relinquished his lightweight title in order to pursue a future bout with Della Maddalena, although the date for the fight has yet to be announced. Many analysts continue to debate whether this was a wise decision or a misstep.

While having a conversation with TNT Sports, Pimblett asserted that it was rather a bad decision from Islam Makhachev to let go of his UFC lightweight title, “If I were Islam, I would’ve fought Topuria. I would’ve beaten Topuria and then fought Jack Della Maddalena like four months later. Because Islam will probably want to headline the Abu Dhabi card (in October). If he smokes Topuria like he smoked (Renato) Moicano and some of the others in the first round, he’d be good to go in October.”

He further added, “If I were Islam, I would’ve done that. (I’m surprised that he didn’t fight Topuria at International Fight Week) but I can see where he’s coming from… Loads of people think Ilia beats Islam, but I don’t, so it would’ve been nice to see Islam school him.”

So there it is. Paddy Pimblett believes Topuria would have struggled against Islam Makhachev. Do you agree? What are your thoughts on all the buzz? Share your opinion in the comments below!