The rivalry between Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria, which seemed like a thing of the past, has been rekindled with Topuria’s rise to the lightweight division. Pimblett, who has a history with Topuria, has come out swinging, taking aim at the Spanish-Georgian champion’s decision to leave his featherweight title vacant and move up to the 155-pound division.
It’s worth noting that Pimblett and Topuria have had a heated past, with a notable altercation in 2022 in London where Topuria threw a bottle at Pimblett, and the two nearly came to blows. This incident sparked a “beef” between the two that has now been reignited. Pimblett recently took to social media, saying he understood why the Russians had bombed Georgia, referencing the historical conflict between the two countries.
In a recent interview with Round Eight Boxing, Pimblett shared his thoughts on Topuria’s move to the lightweight division. “I want that fight, just to prove that everyone is wrong about me,” he said. “And he’s a dwarf, chic. He’s not a lightweight. I shouldn’t be fighting a featherweight. He should have been in featherweight. It will be the ruin of his career.” Pimblett’s comments are likely to add fuel to the fire, and it will be interesting to see how Topuria responds.
Pimblett is currently focused on his own rise to the top, with a fight against Michael Chandler scheduled for April in Miami at UFC 314. Meanwhile, Topuria is also gunning for the title, although his path may be shorter than Pimblett’s. Pimblett believes that Topuria should have “cleaned his division” with a few more fights before seeking to become a double UFC champion. However, it appears that Dana White and the UFC are not opposed to Topuria’s move, and the stage is set for a potential showdown between the two fighters.
As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is certain – the rivalry between Pimblett and Topuria is far from over. With both fighters vying for the top spot in their respective divisions, the tension between them is likely to continue to build. It will be interesting to see how this all plays out, and whether we’ll eventually see these two fighters face off in the octagon.
