Ilia Topuria moves on from Paddy Pimblett fight: “He doesn't interest me at all"

Ilia Topuria had been targeting a fight against Paddy Pimblett for quite some time following their altercation at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC Fight Night 204. Ahead of his main event debut at UFC on ABC 5 this weekend, the No.9-ranked featherweight revealed that he is no longer interested in facing the unranked lightweight.

It all kicked off between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett today! 👀 #UFCLondon
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Speaking to the media, in a clip translated by MMA Junkie, 'El Matador' stated:

"Paddy, you know what happens with Paddy? He's a person that media attention wise, he's big, but as a fighter we all know he's not worth anything. He's not even ranked. He hasn't done anything so giving merit to a person that's only where he is because he knows how to sell himself well, I don't think that's the right thing to do."

Topuria continued:

"We're athletes. In the UFC, the difference between them and other organizations is that here what's valued is the sport and Paddy, sporting wise, hasn't achieved anything. That's why he doesn't interest me at all."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments on Paddy Pimblett below:

Topuria had previously called out Pimblett after the lightweight contender made light of the war between Russia and Georgia. 'El Matador', who lost family members to the war, was one of several Georgian fighters to call out 'The Baddy'. Instead, his focus has now shifted to the featherweight title. He will face the No.5-ranked featherweight Josh Emmett this weekend with an opportunity to cement his status as one of the division's top contenders.

Ilia Topuria previously accused Paddy Pimblett of avoiding him at UFC 282

Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett were involved in a scuffle at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC Fight Night 204. Both fighters would appear on the main card of UFC 282, where the No.9-ranked featherweight accused the lightweight contender of going out of his way to avoid him.

Speaking at the UFC 282 media day, 'El Matador' stated:

"I don't really care about that, you know? F**k him... I went the last two days ago to the [UFC Performance Institute], they take him from the back door and he is not coming [to] the hotel so why? Because he's scared so f**k him. I'm not a bully, you know, so if someone is trying to avoid me, what can I do?"

Watch Ilia Topuria discuss Paddy Pimblett below (starting at the 0:14 mark):

Topuria and Pimblett were both victorious at UFC 282. 'El Matador' picked up a second-round submission victory over Bryce Mitchell, earning a Performance of the Night bonus. 'The Baddy' earned a controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon.