"Hand sanitizer boy v Chris Griffin," "The tension is real!" - Fans react as Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett come close ahead of UFC London

Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett were both in attendance at the recently concluded UFC London ceremonial weigh-ins. Footage of the two fighters, who have a heated rivalry, being in the same area drew an array of fan reactions.

Many Georgian fighters hold a grudge against Pimblett for his prior comments about the Russo-Georgian war. This sparked an altercation at the fighter hotel in London back in 2022 between 'The Baddy' and Topuria when they crossed paths. They even traded barbs at the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference in 2023 while in separate weight classes.

With Topuria moving up the lightweight and Pimblett surging up the rankings, a fight between the two could be on the horizon. A video of them backstage at the UFC London ceremonial weigh-ins recently garnered much attention, considering their history.

Fans were quick to share their reactions in the comments section of the above post. Referencing their run-in in a hotel in 2022 and the constant discourse over Pimblett's post-fight weight gain, one fan wrote:

"Hand sanitizer boy v Chris griffin"

Another fan wrote:

The tension is real! UFC London is about to get wild

Others commented:

"Paddy should pray that he doesn’t go anywhere near that man because he won’t make it to his next fight"

"We might see a 150 lb Topuria vs a 200lb Pimblett"

"Paddy about to get KOd before his fight even happens"

Check out more fan reactions below:

Fan reactions to Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria being in close proximity. [Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X]

Notably, Topuria and Pimblett even shared a cordial handshake/fistbump while on stage together, which drew further discourse online.

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Paddy Pimblett pitches non-title PPV headliner against Ilia Topuria: "It's got a built-in storyline"

Ilia Topuria vacated his featherweight championship in pursuit of lightweight gold. However, whether he directly contests the 155-pound belt against reigning champion Islam Makhachev remains to be seen. No.1 contender bouts against Charles Oliveira and Arman Tsarukyan have also been pitched by fans.

Pimblett recently threw his name into the mix. At a fan Q&A in London, 'The Baddy' revealed that he's open to welcoming 'El Matador' to the lightweight division, adding that it's an easy fight to sell considering their history. He said:

"I personally think I should be the one to welcome him [Ilia Topuria] to the lightweight division. It's got a built-in storyline."

He added:

"Me versus him could just headline the pay-per-view, know what I mean? You wouldn't need any other fights to it. Sell itself, wouldn't need any hype, you know what I mean?

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (2:33):

Pimblett will take on former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314 next month.