Ilia Topuria was defeated by Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC Casa Branca . Photo: UFC Europe / X
Paddy Pimblett continues to target Ilia Topuria in the UFC. After a great victory over Benoît Saint Denis, the Briton maintains a rivalry with the Spaniard and is already planning a peculiar way to put an end to the disagreements, including a reference to the historic duel between Conor McGregor and José Aldo.
In an interview with the 'Kolos MMA' channel, Pimblett stated that a potential encounter with Topuria could begin even before the octagon, in a season of The Ultimate Fighter. In the Briton's view, the two would star in a reality show marked by provocations and rivalry, to the point where he could get under the Spaniard's skin even before the fight.
"I think we'd have a brilliant season on TUF, and I'd get under his skin so badly that when the fight started, I'd beat him as quickly as McGregor beat Aldo," said Paddy Pimblett.
See too
The Briton also revealed that, although he doesn't yet have a fight scheduled, he would like to face Topuria in his next bout. When discussing the confrontation, Pimblett adopted the provocative tone characteristic of their rivalry and stated that he intends to punish the Spaniard.
“I don’t have any fights scheduled at the moment, but I would love to fight Ilia Topuria . I would beat him so hard I would send him back to featherweight,” concluded the Briton.
Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett rivalry
The animosity between Pimblett and Topuria dates back to 2021, when the Englishman provoked the Georgian on social media, including controversial comments about Georgia and references to the 2008 Russian invasion.
The following year, the rivalry escalated into physical confrontations. In London, Pimblett even threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria during a hotel encounter. Since then, provocations and tensions have marked UFC events and press conferences.
Johnny Walker opens up about his heavyweight debut at UFC 332.
Comments