An three-year old rivalry has been rekindled recently in the UFC lightweight division.
Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria shared an altercation at the fighter hotel prior to UFC London back in March of 2022 after Pimblett made some ill-advised comments regarding the Russo-Georgia war of 2008 (something he later apologized for).
The altercation became physical and the pair had to be seperated, but not before Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria.
They also traded barbs during the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference later that year, but with Pimblett (22-3 MMA, 6-0 UFC) having moved up to 155 pounds, the likelihood of the pair meeting inside the Octagon looked to have been vanquished.
Following last month's announcement that Topuria (16-0 MMA, 8-0 UFC) is set to vacate his UFC featherweight title and move permanently up to the lightweight division, it seems the possibility of a fight against his old rival may just be back on the table.
"El Matador" would ideally like an immediate shot at current lightweight champion Islam Makhachev, but no news has been forthcoming as of yet about who he will face in his first outing at lightweight.
Pimblett, who is preparing to face Michael Chandler (23-9 MMA, 2-4 UFC) at UFC 314 on April 12th, believes Topuria needs to prove his credentials at his new weight class before being awarded with a title shot.
“He needs to beat someone at ’55 first, the little Chorizo,” Pimblett said at a fan Q&A prior to Friday’s UFC London weigh-ins at The O2. “I would do the exact same thing I’m going to do to Michael Chandler. Kick him in the face or submit him. He’s a midget, lad. He’s tiny.”
Pimblett believes that any potential match-up between the pair would be big enough to headline a pay-per-view event without a UFC title on the line.
“I’ve been saying it for years, I would love to fight him,” Pimblett said. “Now that he’s moved up to ’55 it’s a real possibility. It looks like he’s sitting out just waiting for Islam, but I personally think I should be the one to welcome him to the lightweight division.
“It’s got a built-in storyline. It wouldn’t need a title on that pay-per-view. Me and him just could just headline the pay-per-view. You wouldn’t need any other fight. It would sell itself. It wouldn’t need any hype, because I’ve already bounced something off his head.”
