In 2022, Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria nearly came to blows in a London hotel. The spark that started it all? Pimblett’s questionable comments about the 2008 Georgia and Russia war that ticked off ‘El Matador’. Things then boiled over further at the UFC 282 press conference, where the two had to be separated before things escalated even more.

Fast forward to UFC London in 2025, and suddenly a fist bump? What changed? According to Topuria in a recent interview, “At the end of the day, we are athletes. But if we enter the field of combat and we have to fight, then the story changes.” And so, don’t let the friendly gesture fool you. With Topuria now knocking on lightweight gold and ‘The Baddy’ fresh off his biggest win at UFC 314, that long-awaited clash may finally be drawing near. Yet, according to a UFC veteran, there’s still a massive wall standing in this fight’s way, and his name is Justin Gaethje.

Chael Sonnen points to Justin Gaethje as the one man who can derail the Ilia Topuria vs Paddy Pimblett feud

Speaking on a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen began by stating, “First off, they are equals (Pimblett and Topuria) but second, I got it all the way that Ilia is a little bit bigger just because Ilia’s is holding the belt and if that grudge and that rivalry still maintains, then this is the first in a meaningful period of time and the only current rivalry that we have in this sport. So, how do we get them together?”

Ilia Topuria is set to fight Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317. If he wins, the Paddy Pimblett fight becomes more than a rivalry, it becomes a title match dipped in gasoline that promises to bring the house down when they step inside the Octagon. And that’s what makes it so rare, as Sonnen further shared, “Nothing trumps rivalry, you can have nationalistic… You can fight for pride of country, you can fight for world championships and undefeated records, but nothing trumps personal feud.”

Sonnen’s not wrong here. Conor McGregor’s rivalry with Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jon Jones, and Daniel Cormier’s saga all had one thing in common. A spark of animosity that went beyond the Octagon. The Topuria vs Pimblett matchup? According to Sonnen, “If you’re a promoter, you dream of catching a fight like that on your watch, and it’s just very hard to get to.”

With his dominant finish of Michael Chandler at UFC 314, Pimblett has now placed himself in a position where, with one more win, he can find himself in the mix for the title. Especially if ‘El Matador’ wins against Oliveira. Yet, as Sonnen explained, “it’s very easy to believe that he’s going to get that one, and that one that is sitting out there that is so blatantly clear is Justin Gaethje. Now you run into a really, really hard question of can Paddy beat Justin Gaethje?”

A former interim lightweight champion and currently ranked No. 3 in the division, Justin Gaethje lives up to his nickname, ‘The Highlight’, every single fight. He recently bounced back from his brutal KO loss to Max Holloway at UFC 300 by dominating Rafael Fiziev at UFC 313 with a 3-round unanimous decision.

If Pimblett takes that fight, the risk is enormous. A loss? It doesn’t just delay his title shot, it also dampens the flames of his feud with Topuria. Yet despite all of that, ‘The Baddy’ isn’t backing down. In fact, the Scouser seems to be calculating his next move with cold precision!

Pimblett is still gunning for Topuria but isn’t afraid of ‘The Highlight’

What happens if Ilia Topuria wins the lightweight belt at UFC 317? That move might help Paddy Pimblett skip a few rungs on the lightweight ladder. How? In a recent interview with TNT Sports,  Pimblett confessed, “It’d be far better for my career if Ilia wins because I’d, more than likely, be his first title defense.”

Why risk a firefight with ‘The Highlight’ when his old nemesis might just hand him a title shot? And yet, he’s not completely ruling it out. Pimblett further shared, “After what I just did to Chandler, I think I finish Justin Gaethje.”

The fight against Chandler silenced a lot of doubters for Pimblett. A fact he reminded Ilia Topuria of with a recent Instagram post. The picture? Pimblett landing a head kick on ‘Iron Mike’. The caption? Aimed squarely at ‘El Matador’ as it read, “Can’t wait to land one of these on el chorizo”

Pimblett could wait, hoping that Topuria would win and call him out. The story writes itself: two rivals, one belt, and a grudge that’s been simmering for years. But if the UFC pushes for one more proving ground, then Gaethje becomes the gatekeeper to glory. Does Pimblett take that leap, knowing one misstep could cost him everything? Or does he play the waiting game? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!