Paddy Pimblett vs. Ilia Topuria: Which UFC fighter has had a better MMA career so far?

Surging featherweight contender Ilia Topuria and UFC rising star Paddy Pimblett almost came to blows at the UFC 282 press conference. Ever since the incident at a hotel where Pimblett threw a hand sanitizer bottle at Topuria, fans have always wondered who the better fighter is. Hence, here are the details of which fighter has had a better MMA career so far.

Both 'El Matador' and the Englishman had stellar MMA careers even before making their UFC debuts. However, one could argue that 'The Baddy' slightly edges out the Spaniard in terms of MMA credentials since he is a former Cage Warriors (CW) featherweight champion.

Watch Paddy Pimblett's pre-UFC highlights below:

The 27-year-old also defended his featherweight strap once and even challenged for the lightweight title during the latter phase of his career with CW. The Britt is also a former Full Contact Contender (FCC) featherweight champion

However, Topuira's exploits are almost equally impressive. The Spaniard is a former Mix Fight Events featherweight champion. He technically also won his CW bantamweight title bout but was ultimately ineligible to win the title since he missed weight by 4.5 lbs.

Watch Ilia Topuria's exploits outside of the UFC below:

Additionally, unlike the Scouser, 'El Matador' has never lost a fight in his pro-mixed martial arts career. The 25-year-old's MMA record currently stands at 12-0 as opposed to Pimblett's 19-3. Both men have been undefeated in their UFC careers so far.

However, according to a report by The AllStar, the betting platform Crypto Sportsbook's provisional odds have Pimblett as the +229 underdog for a future fight against Topuria (-286 favorite).

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Paddy Pimblett vs. Ilia Topuria: Who is ranked higher in the UFC?

Ilia Topuira is ranked higher than Paddy Pimblett in the UFC. 'El Matador' primarily fights in the featherweight division, where he is the No.14 ranked contender, while Pimblett is an unranked UFC lightweight.

Ilia Topuria, however, made his lightweight debut in his most recent fight at UFC Fight Night 204 against Jai Herbert. The 25-year-old has since returned to 145 lbs and is scheduled to take on the No.9-ranked featherweight Bryce Mitchell at the upcoming UFC 282 on December 10.

Pimblett serves as the co-headliner for UFC 282, where he will take on former Cage Fury Fighting Championships featherweight champion Jared Gordon.

The December 10 fight card will be headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev.