UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett's animosity with featherweight champion Ilia Topuria is well known. With Topuria moving to lightweight, a matchup between the two seems like a possibility, particularly if Pimblett defeats Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
In his last two fights, Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, who are among the best-ever at featherweight. In a recent interview with JNMEDIA's Jamal Niaz, Pimblett was asked about fighting Topuria, particularly in a standup battle.
'The Baddy' noted that 'El Matador's' previous opponents made the mistake of playing to the Spaniard's advantage, and he wouldn't be like them.
"Styles make fights. You know what I mean? No one is going to do what I'd do to him. Everyone started to have a boxing match with him, and they have all failed because of it. I wouldn't come out and have a boxing match with him. I'm not an idiot," said Pimblett.
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However, Topuria is not part of Pimblett's immediate future. After a potential victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 314, 'Baddy' intends to fight Charles Oliveira for a number one contender fight in October.
Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (3:00):
Ilia Topuria disregards Paddy Pimblett's talent
When Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett beefed with each other, the Liverpudlian was a big name in the UFC while Topuria was a relatively less-known featherweight. Fast forward a couple of years, Topuria is among the biggest stars in the promotion, though Pimblett indeed has a huge fanbase.
Last month, Topuria appeared on the FULL SEND podcast, where host Kyle Forgeard asked him about Pimblett. Unsurprisingly, 'El Matador' didn't have good things to say about 'The Baddy'.
"In the moment, he has a lot of hype, this and that, but the quality of the fighter he is, come on, man. Please don't even compare me to that bum. Because we are on different levels, and everyone can see it now that we are on different levels," Topuria said.
The 28-year-old still holds a grudge against Pimblett for his insensitive remarks about Georgian-Russian geopolitical tensions. Topuria noted several children lost their lives due to the tensions, and Pimblett's remarks crossed the line. The featherweight champion differentiated himself from the lightweight contender, citing that the Pimblett used others' suffering to build hype.
Check out Ilia Topuria's comments about Paddy Pimblett below (25:53):
