Paddy Pimblett didn’t expect to be in the UFC 317 cage, but he was ready for a confrontation with Ilia Topuria after knocking out Charles Oliveira and becoming a lightweight champion.
UFC CEO Dana White wasn’t happy that Cageside officials allowed Pimblett to join Octagon, but Faceffoff ended with a rush from Topuria and soon began building towards one of the most anticipated fights that could soon be a promotion. Some rivals may be manufactured, but Pinblett promises that his dad against Topria is too realistic.
“I’m always ready, I’m always ready to do that,” Pinblett said of the showdown at the post-UFC 317 show. “We have history. You don’t even have to sell that fight. It sells itself. Two people who really hate each other. You really don’t get it. We don’t really see it.
“I don’t want to finish him fast. I want to get him to an elbow 700 times and then I want to stay in the fight and finish him. I want to hurt him.”
The history between Pimblett and Topuria dates back to years before, when the former Cage Warriors standout was actually preparing for their UFC debut.
At the time, Pinblet entered a very public language war with the Georgian-born fighter Glam Ktaterase, which attracted Toplia’s attention.
“I said silently, you forged Russian, but he didn’t like it,” Pinblett said of the social media interaction. “Ilia is pleased that a bomb was dropped on Georgia when they didn’t even know they were going to war. I will never say anything like that. When I didn’t like the fact that he mentioned Russia, I went back to Gram and the Russians terrorized your life.” It has nothing to do with war in my eyes.
“To this day, Ilia said on the Joe Rogan podcast that “Paddy said a bomb fell in Georgia and a child died.” I didn’t say that at all. ”
The bad blood between them eventually boiled when Pimblett and Topuria got into a physical altercation at the UFC London event. The short brawl broke pretty quickly. Pinblet eventually fired a bottle of hand sanitizer at Toplia.
That’s why Pimblett has given Nicknaam to his future two UFC champions, Hand Sanitizer Boy.
“He came to me in London and, honestly, he tried to jump over me,” Pinblet said as he tackled an argument with Topria. “I was alone, but that’s a good job, since my team wasn’t there, it would have been a proper gang brawl.
“He just came to me and said something and he tried to punch me. I didn’t get in the way, picked up some hand sanitizer, bouncing off his head, with all the fuss, nothing happened.”
History between them invited “baddy” into the cage before Topria called Pinblett “a blonde bitch” during a postwar interview, where she exchanged several exp remarks.
Regardless of their personal beef, Pinblett gave Topria’s credit for his well done work in his fight on Saturday, where he won Oliveira’s brutal first-round knockout to win the vacant lightweight title.
The truth is said, Pinblet had a sense of how things unfold after witnessing strikes from both fighters.
“As he was out, I said before, I said Charles looked nervous and Ilia was very calm,” Pinblett said. “I think it made a difference in the first round, and if Charles could have gone through the first round, it could have been a little different.
“He has great boxing, he has very good hands. He has strength. When he swings the hook, you need to get out of the f*cking method.”
Given their past, the hatred that they share with each other and then the conflict in the UFC 317 cage, it’s hard to imagine that in the near future promotions will not take advantage of Pinblet’s bookings against Topulia.
That’s exactly what both fighters want, and Pinblett is excited to prove that many suspects are wrong again.
“I’m more motivated when I’m like that, especially the fact that everyone thinks I’ll lose,” Pinblett said. “Everyone thinks I’ll lose, nine out of ten people probably think he’ll knock me out. I love proving people wrong.
“It looks like you can become a champion before you can expect it.”
He also gave Arman Tsarukyan a farewell shot. He should get the next title shot on all accounts, probably based on his current rankings. Tsarukyan actually got heavy as a backup for the UFC 317 main event, and Pimblett told him he should probably get used to the role.
“Emperor, you can go again as an alternative,” Pinblett said. “You’re a little bitch.”