Paddy Pimblett welcomes ‘midget’ Ilia Topuria to lightweight division: ‘I’m here waiting’
Paddy Pimblett won’t shy away from a 155-pound scrap with Ilia Topuria.
Pimblett and Topuria have had some beef dating back to 2021. The two had a run-in at a hotel lobby in London the during the week of a UFC Fight Night card the following year. Topuria’s issue with Pimblett stems from a social media post where “The Baddy” called Georgians “stupid” and added, “No wonder the Russians terrorize their lives.”
The issues between “El Matador” and “The Baddy” haven’t exactly cooled down since that time. While the two are one weight class apart, Topuria, who is the reigning UFC featherweight champion, has teased eventually moving up to the lightweight division. If that’s the case, Pimblett would like to settle their beef inside the Octagon.
Paddy Pimblett Open to Ilia Topuria Fight at Lightweight
During an interview with Doberdan MMA, Paddy Pimblett let it be known that he has a clear size advantage over Ilia Topuria.
“Ilia’s a midget,” Pimblett said. “People don’t understand how much bigger I am than Ilia. I’m so much bigger than him, people don’t realize. I’d love to do a staredown with him just so everyone could see how much bigger I actually am than him.”
While Pimblett recognizes Topuria’s skills inside the Octagon, he believes “El Matador” still has work to do to solidify his place among the 145-pound greats.
“Don’t get me wrong, he’s very good,” Pimblett said. “Just cause I don’t like him doesn’t mean I’m gonna sit here and lie. He’s a very good fighter, he is, but I also think he got fast-tracked to the belt because Volk had cleared the featherweight division out already. I think he got fast-tracked to the belt. He’d only beat Bryce Mitchell and Josh Emmett, and got a title shot. He didn’t even have to beat Brian Ortega or Yair Rodriguez or Arnold Allen. He skipped these fighters and got to fight for the belt just because Volk had cleared the division out. I personally don’t think he knocked Volk out unless Volk got head kicked 12 weeks before by Islam.”
When the time does come for Topuria to make the move to the lightweight division, Pimblett wants to welcome him to the weight class.
“If he wants to come to lightweight, I’m here waiting,” Pimblett said.
If you use any quotes from this article, please credit the original source and leave an H/T to BJPenn.com with a link back for the transcription.
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
Topics:
Ilia Topuria Paddy Pimblett UFC
