Here you go! UFC Qatar has officially arrived, bringing an intriguing card headlined by Arman Tsarukyan vs. Dan Hooker. Ahead of fight night, the athletes gathered at the UFC host hotel in Doha, with Saturday’s action set to take place at the nearby ABHA Arena. While the fighters hit the scales without issue, tensions flared outside as Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett crossed paths.

As you all know, whenever these two come face to face, a brawl feels one spark away thanks to their long-running feud dating back years. Pimblett is also being floated as a potential challenger for Topuria’s first title defense in 2026 on the Paramount card, among others. Although nothing is confirmed yet, the way they sized each other up suggests they’re more than ready to throw hands regardless.

Pimblett instigates an exchange with Ilia Topuria

Both Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria appeared to arrive at UFC Qatar at the same time, and that’s when they spotted each other. A clip of the moment was shared on social media by journalist Álvaro Colmenero, who captioned the post, “PADDY PIMBLETT cross PATHS with ILIA TOPURIA.” In the video, Pimblett can be seen instigating a verbal exchange.

“What’s happening? Alright?” Pimblett asked Topuria, who was entering the venue with his entourage. As security stepped in to prevent a potential brawl, Topuria shouted from afar, “P—sy” at Pimblett. Unsurprisingly, ‘The Baddy’ tried to stir things up even more, yelling back, “C’mon chorizo, calm down.”

The pair, of course, are in Qatar to support their teammates. Pimblett is backing Shaqueme Rock—who faces Nurullo Aliev—and Luke Riley, who meets Bogdan Grad on the preliminary card. Meanwhile, Topuria is there to support his brother, Aleksandre Topuria, who is fighting Bekzat Almakhan, also on the preliminary card.

Shaqueme Rock weighed in at 156 pounds for his lightweight bout, while Riley hit 145.5 pounds for his bantamweight fight. Aleksandre Topuria, on the other hand, weighed in at 135.5 pounds for his bantamweight matchup. In the meantime, Paddy Pimblett is growing frustrated over why the UFC hasn’t confirmed his fight against Topuria. 

Paddy Pimblett claims there’s a built-in storyline with Topuria

Paddy Pimblett believes the UFC is sitting on a ready-made blockbuster, insisting his rivalry with Ilia Topuria already has all the ingredients for a massive title fight. As he waits for the promotion to confirm the lightweight champion’s first defense, Pimblett admitted his frustration with the delay, especially after climbing into the top five following his dominant win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.

“Me and Topuria’s got the storyline built in, it’s all there,” Pimblett said, emphasizing that their long-standing feud and past run-ins make the matchup an obvious choice. He even acknowledged that Topuria winning the belt works in his favor. “It’s half nice for me that he’s got the belt even though I don’t like him… it’s better for me that he won it because if Charles had won I would have definitely had to fight someone else first.”

Still waiting on confirmation, Pimblett added, “I don’t know why it’s not already announced… We’ll see what happens in the next few weeks.”

With both Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett in Qatar, could this be the moment the UFC has been waiting to announce the fight between them? Possible, but you never know. Do you think ‘The Baddy’ is next in line?