Is Paddy Pimblett scared to fight undefeated Ilia Topuria?

Paddy Pimblett doesn't seem like the type of fighter to avoid a challenge, but his initial UFC opponents haven't been the toughest tests for the Englishman. One fighter keen to face 'The Baddy' is Ilia Topuria, but the featherweight contender believes Pimblett is scared to face him.

The two fighters have consistently gone back-and-forth since Pimblett made inappropriate comments surrounding the Russo-Georgian War of 2008, which 'The Baddy' later publicly apologized for.

However, Ilia Topuria recently sparked interest in the feud after stating that Paddy Pimblett was scared of him during an interview with the media.

Topuria claims to have been in the same building as Paddy Pimblett, but stated that the Englishman was avoiding him. While speaking to the media ahead of UFC 282, Topuria said (transcribed via MMA Junkie):

"I went two days ago to the PI, they take him from the back door. He’s not coming to the hotel. Why? Because he’s scared, so f**k him. I’m not bully, so if someone is trying to avoid me, what can I do?"

Watch Pimblett and Topuria clash in a hotel ahead of UFC London:

It would seem unlikely that 'The Baddy' would be 'scared' to fight Ilia Topuria, but it would have been exciting to book the bout during the height of their feud around UFC London.

The two fighters are both competing at UFC 282 this weekend, with Topuria taking on the highly-rated Bryce Mitchell and Pimblett taking on Jared Gordon.

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Who has the tougher opponent at UFC 282 between Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria?

It's clear to see that Ilia Topuria has a much tougher bout at UFC 282 this weekend, with Bryce Mitchell remaining unbeaten during his professional MMA career. Mitchell has fought multiple times in the UFC, beating the likes of Edson Barboza, Andre Fili and Charles Rosa during his latest outings.

Paddy Pimblett's opponent, Jared Gordon, doesn't boast a record as attractive as Mitchell. Gordon is currently 7-4 in the UFC, but managed to win his latest outing against Leonardo Santos at UFC 278: Usman vs. Edwards 2.

Watch the latest UFC 282 Embedded episode here:

Paddy Pimblett is yet to fight a ranked opponent in the UFC, so you would have to imagine a win against Jared Gordon would mean a step-up in levels for his next outing.

However, Ilia Topuria will be hoping to climb into the top 10 in the featherweight division should he get his hand raised at UFC 282 this weekend. Topuria is currently ranked #14, with Bryce Mitchell ranked #9 in the rankings.