Paddy Pimblett has made it clear that his rivalry with Ilia Topuria is personal.
Appearing on Verse Us with Erick Nicksick, Pimblett discussed his animosity toward Topuria and compared their rivalry to the bitter feud between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov.
“We haven’t seen two people genuinely dislike each other since Conor (McGregor) and Khabib (Nurmagomedov),” Pimblett said. “Everyone’s always dead cordial and alright, whereas I hate him…I absolutely hate him. Like, I want to inflict pain on his life, you know what I mean?”
Pimblett went on to describe the kind of fight he would like to have against Topuria, making it clear that he would prefer a prolonged beating rather than a quick finish.
“I’d like that fight to go 4 minutes, 50 seconds into the fifth round, and I’ve landed 907 elbows and I’ve disfigured his face,” Pimblett said. “I don’t want a quick knockout, I want to put him through pain.”
The comments underline the intensity of the animosity between the two fighters, whose rivalry has become one of the UFC's most talked-about potential matchups.
Pimblett's remarks also stand in contrast to the typically respectful approach seen between many modern UFC opponents, with the Liverpool native emphasizing that his feelings toward Topuria go well beyond standard pre-fight trash talk.
Whether the matchup ultimately takes place remains to be seen, but Pimblett's comments have left little doubt about how he feels about his rival.
