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A UFC insider recently vouched for Paddy Pimblett to be Ilia Topuria's next rival in the wake of the Georgian-Spaniard's tease about his next fight.
Pimblett and Topuria haven't been on the best of terms during their time in the UFC. In 2021, Pimblett made a brash comment about Georgians involving the Russo-Georgian War of 2008. His remarks earned him a lot of flak from a few fighters of Georgian origin, including Topuria.
However, the animosity between Pimblett and Topuria didn't stop there. The fighters got into a scuffle while they exchanged paths at the fighters' hotel before UFC London in March 2022. Pimblett also exchanged an array of insults with Topuria during their time on the stage for the pre-UFC 282 press conference.
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Topuria announced his move to lightweight in the hunt for the UFC lightweight gold in February this year. A few days back, Topuria also teased that he had a big announcement coming up.
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On account of the bad blood between Topuria and Pimblett, UFC legend Chael Sonnen opined that Pimblett would be 'El Matador's' first rival at lightweight. 'The American Gangster' reposted an X update about Topuria's tease with a caption reading:
"I bet Paddy [Pimblett] has a good guess.."
Paddy Pimblett is ready to welcome Ilia Topuria to the lightweight division
Ilia Topuria is on the hunt for Islam Makhachev's UFC lightweight gold after relinquishing his featherweight title. But the negotiations for that fight haven't yielded much success yet.
On the other hand, Paddy Pimblett has expressed a wish to settle his feud with Topuria inside the octagon. A recent Instagram reel from @combatbuzz showcased Pimblett hurling a few insults and compliments at his potential rival along with revealing his readiness to lock horns with him. The Liverpudlian said:
"If [Topuria] wants to come to lightweight, I'm here waiting. I'll be there to welcome him. I don't think anyone in the division has got more of a claim to welcome him to the division than I have."
