Paddy Pimblett is on the offensive with his sights set on a showdown with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria in early 2026.
All signs point to the longtime rivals finally settling their grudges in Topuria vs. Pimblett, which could headline the first-ever UFC card on Paramount+ in January. Their shared history dates back to a physical altercation before a UFC event in London in 2022, and the disdain between the two men only grew stronger.
“He tried to jump me,” Pimblett said of the incident in an interview with Marca. “When I was alone and he was with about 10 other people, he tried to attack me. My name made him famous. He thinks he’s too good to fight me. You wouldn’t be here without me.”
At the time, Topria was fighting at featherweight and Pimblett at lightweight, so it didn’t make much sense for the two to fight. That all changed after Topuria vacated the 145-pound title and announced plans to move up to lightweight, defeating Charles Oliveira to win the 155-pound title in June.
Truth be told, Pimblett believes he should have challenged Topuria immediately after moving up to his new weight class, but there are even higher stakes at stake in a potential fight for UFC gold.
“I said when he moves up to lightweight, I should welcome him,” Pimblett said. “I was supposed to be his first fight at lightweight. But that didn’t happen and he was given the title fight.”
Pimblett and Topuria’s rivalry deepens when it comes to their shared passion for soccer, but “The Buddy” isn’t sure if their fan bases are even close to the same.
After winning his first UFC title, Topria was celebrated during a Real Madrid match and has expressed interest in eventually hosting the fight at Madrid’s famous Bernabeu stadium.
However, Pimblett does not accept that Topria is actually that committed to the football club, particularly regarding his links with both Spain and Georgia.
“To be honest, Topria is not Spanish,” Pimblett said. “Let’s get it out there right away. He’s German. He was born in Germany, but he pretends to be Georgian and Spanish to get more fans. He’s German.”
Indeed, Topria was born in Germany to Georgian parents who were refugees, and the family eventually moved back to Georgia when he was still a child. A few years later, Topuria’s family moved again to Spain, which has been his main home ever since.
Pimblett still doesn’t agree with that and believes Topria is using fans in Georgia and Spain to increase his popularity in the sport.
“He just piggybacked on it to get more fans and more followers,” Pimblett said. “He’s a fake. So fake, like half of his followers. It’s proven, half of his followers on Instagram are bought. He’s the most fake of all time. He’s just a (Conor) McGregor imitator. I’m tired of him.”
Judging by Pimblett’s recent attacks, it seems almost inevitable that he will eventually get a chance to square off with Topuria in the Octagon.
Will it happen in January? Only time will tell.