When Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett almost brawled at hotel over Englishman's comments about Russo-Georgian war

UFC standouts Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett do not see eye to eye. In fact, the two men almost came to blows at a hotel due to the Englishman's past comments about the Russo-Georgian war. Topuria, of Georgina ethnicity, took great offense to Pimblett mocking the Russo-Georgian war on social media.

During an X/Twitter spat with Guram Kutateladze, the Englishman described Georgians as 'stupid' before claiming to understand why Russia had engaged Georgia in war in 2008. This enraged Topuria, who later crossed paths with Pimblett at a fighter hotel ahead of UFC Fight Night 204 in London.

Check out the near-brawl between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett:

Upon locking eyes with Pimblett, pandemonium occurred. Pimblett threw what he has since revealed was a hand sanitizer bottle, and Topuria retaliated with punches, none of which landed. Fortunately, the scuffle never escalated beyond that point, and both men went on to compete in their fights.

However, it wasn't just Topuria who was infuriated by Pimblett's comments. Many of the UFC's Georgian fighters condemned the Englishman for his insensitive remarks, ultimately leading to an apology. Regardless, there appears to be no love lost between Pimblett and Topuria.

But neither man is likely to cross swords with the other. While they're only a division apart, Topuria has previously fought at lightweight, where he scored a brutal knockout over Jai Herbert. Instead, their current career paths make it difficult for a fight to materialize any time soon.

Topuria is set to headline UFC 298, where he will mount his first title challenge in the promotion, taking on the great Alexander Volkanovski. While chasing championship aspirations, Pimblett remains unranked in his own division and recently defeated the equally unranked Tony Ferguson.

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Has Ilia Topuria finished everyone he has faced?

Ilia Topuria is one of the UFC's latest undefeated phenoms. Furthermore, he is known for being a finisher of the highest order, capable of ending fights with knockouts or submissions. To date, he has beaten all 14 of his opponents, 12 of whom he has finished, with eight submissions and four knockouts.

However, two opponents have made it to the final bell against him: Josh Emmett, his latest win, and Youssef Zalal, who first welcomed 'El Matador' to the UFC. Both men lost via unanimous decision, with Topuria's performance against Emmett earning high praise.