Paddy Pimblett backs Arman Tsarukyan for title shot, takes dig at "hand sanitizer boy" Ilia Topuria

Paddy Pimblett recently rated Arman Tsarukyan as the more deserving contender for a lightweight title shot over Ilia Topuria. Pimblett also provided Topuria with a label besides dismissing his case for a shot at the lightweight gold.

Pimblett is set to fight Michael Chandler in the co-main event of UFC 314 on 12 April. Some of his recent social media posts showcase that the Liverpudlian has also started training for his upcoming fight.

It's a common scene for fighters to engage in a war of words with their scheduled rivals during the buildup to a fight. But Pimblett chose to fire a shot at Topuria despite Chandler being the scheduled rival for his upcoming encounter.

An X update from @Home_of_Fight highlighted a clip from one of his recent interviews with the UFC play-by-play commentator, Jon Anik. It showcased Pimblett revealing his thoughts about Arman Tsarukyan's eleventh-hour pullout from his UFC 312 lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev.

'The Baddy' detailed that Tsarukyan's announcement came as a shock to him. But after delving into some MMA math, Pimblett opined Tsarukyan still deserved a title shot more than Topuria, whom he labeled "hand sanitizer boy". He said:

"I think the only person right for [Islam Makhachev] to fight is Arman [Tsarukyan]. Arman deserves that title shot more than hand sanitizer boy [Topuria] does."

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Why did Paddy Pimblett choose the nickname "hand sanitizer boy" to deride Ilia Topuria?

There's a specific reason behind Paddy Pimblett choosing "hand sanitizer boy" to mock Ilia Topuria. Pimblett's title for Topuria originates from one of their scuffles that took place in 2022.

Pimblett's remarks about Georgians and the Russo-Georgian war of 2008 earned him a plethora of disses from the MMA community, including fighters of Georgian origin. Topuria was also enraged by Pimblett's comments, which made him attack the Liverpudlian when they crossed paths at the fighters' hotel before UFC London in 2022.

Since this incident, Pimblett has been claiming that he threw a hand sanitizer bottle at Topuria, which bounced off his head. The video of the incident doesn't detail his claim clearly, but the affair seems to have provided him with a label for Topuria.

Check out the video of Paddy Pimblett's scuffle with Topuria below: