Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett is the fight to make, claims ex-UFC double champion in brutally honest breakdown 

Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett have been embroiled a fierce rivalry over the last few year. However, a potential fight seemed unlikely due to them competing in different weight classes. With Pimblett breaking into the top seven of the lightweight division at the time when Topuria made a move up to that division, the possibility of the fight has become more realistic.

During the UFC 314 post-fight analysis in a recent episode of the Pound 4 Pound with Kamaru & Henry podcast, former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo shared his thoughts on the situation. While Pimblett called other top-ranked lightweights after his UFC 314 win over Michael Chandler, Cejudo believes a fight between 'Baddy' and Topuria makes the most sense under current circumstances, stating:

"[Pimblett] mentioned Dustin, he mentioned Gaethje, he mentioned Armen [as potential next opponents], but the fight that would really make sense, right now, is Ilia Topuria. These guys have beef, back in the day and right now. The storyline is there. They're both stars in the UFC. You've got the champ and you've got Ilia Topuria, you've got Paddy Pimblett. He has to pick one fight."

He added:

"If I'm the UFC, I'm booking Justin Gaethje vs. Islam Makhachv because Khabib's wish is Ilia needs to fight somebody before he gets the title shot. And then, I think you do Ilia Topuria [vs. Paddy Pimblett]. Whoever comes on top, gets the next title shot."

Check out Henry Cejudo's comments below (21:42):

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Paddy Pimblett on why he did not call out Ilia Topuria after UFC 314 win

The third-round TKO victory over Michael Chandler at UFC 314 marked the biggest win of Paddy Pimblett's professional MMA career. During his octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Pimblett called out top-ranked contenders such as Dustin Poirier and Justin Gaethje for the fight but did not mention Ilia Topuria despite the intense rivalry.

When asked about not calling out Topuria at the UFC 314 post-fight press conference, Pimblett responded:

“To be honest, I forgot about him. I forgot all about him or I would have mentioned him in the cage, know what I mean. I don’t call the man ‘Sanitizer Boy’ anymore, he’s now ‘El Chorizo’ but as I say, I literally forgot all about him. That’s how irrelevant he is. I’m ranked higher than he is at lightweight so I’d love to welcome him to 155 but apparently he’s sitting out and waiting for the title shot.”

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below: