Ilia Topuria says the beef between him and Paddy Pimblett isn't settled
Following his win at UFC 282, Ilia Topuria took the chance backstage to reignite his feud with Paddy Pimblett. He relished the "f***ing amazing" idea to book the rivalry in the promotion's first-ever event in his home country of Spain.
'El Matador' extended his unbeaten record to 13-0 after a completely dominant performance against the always-dangerous Bryce Mitchell on December 10th. Despite being taken down and held for the first time in his UFC career, the Spanish athlete showcased his frightening power and submission ability during his win.
After getting his hands raised, Ilia Topuria claimed that a fight between himself and "motherf***er" Paddy Pimblett will happen one day. However, he would savor the chance at beating up the Scouser at a potential UFC Spain event:
"It happened in London when I fought the last time with Paddy and it happened this time. I didn't have any distractions with that. The thing was, I was in the press conference, and that mushroom was talking and I don't want to listen to him... I know that I'm gonna face that motherf***er one day and I'm gonna smash his face. Wow, that would be f***ing amazing [to fight him in the inaugral UFC event in Spain]."
Although many believed he should have lost, Paddy Pimblett improved to 4-0 in the UFC after a performance he will be less than happy with last time out. While he wasn't completely outclassed, the Liverpudlian showed some holes in his game, with his defensive striking continuing to be a problem for the lightweight.
Ilia Topuria's performance on Saturday will earn him a top-10 spot in the featherweight division rankings, pushing him closer toward a potential title shot at 145.
Check out the interview HERE!
Is Paddy Pimblett next for Ilia Topuria?
Ilia Topuria has made it known that he wants to meet Paddy Pimblett inside the octagon and punish him for the ongoing feud the two have formed over social media.
But first, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt has another name in mind who he'd like to compete against. The 25-year-old has his sights firmly set on a showdown with Brian Ortega in the future:
"So, I want to fight with T-City, with Brian Ortega next... Maybe the title shot, but I know the short man is busy right now getting even more fat than he is... If it's not him [Alexander Volkanovski], I want to fight with Brian Ortega."