Islam Makhachev hilariously claims Paddy Pimblett can only beat him on judges' scorecards in Las Vegas
Islam Makhachev is the latest fighter to weigh in on Paddy Pimblett's controversial win at UFC 282. The lightweight champion took to Twitter to respond to Pimblett's claim that he would have put up a better fight than Charles Oliveira at UFC 280, stating in a since-deleted tweet:
"If fight happens in Nevada, he has chances to beat me on the judges scorecards lol"
Check out Islam Makhachev's tweet below:
Pimblett's controversial victory over Jared Gordon in his pay-per-view debut drew the ire of plenty of fans and fighters alike. There have been claims by many that the unranked lightweight, who has received plenty of marketing from the UFC, was gifted a victory to continue his rise to stardom.
Despite being outstruck by Gordon, who also had nearly six-and-a-half minutes of ground control, Pimblett won the fight via unanimous decision. Makhachev, who will defend his belt for the first time at UFC 284 against Alexander Volkanovski, is the latest in a growing number of fighters who have voiced their disagreement with the decision.
John McCarthy warns Paddy Pimblett about potential Ilia Topuria matchup
Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria have made it clear that they are not fans of one another. The two mixed martial artists were involved in a scuffle at the fighter hotel ahead of UFC Fight Night 204. The drama carried over into UFC 282 as they took shots at one another throughout the week.
Former UFC referee John McCarthy shared his belief that feuding with Topuria may not be in Pimblett's best interests.
#UFCLondon It all kicked off between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett today! 👀 #UFCLondon
https://t.co/9axwNXWYSK
Speaking on his podcast, WEIGHING IN, the mixed martial arts analyst first discussed how fighters in the lightweight division view Pimblett:
"I like Jared Gordon as a fighter. He's a good guy, personally like him, but he's not at the top of the food chain. There's a lot of guys above him - man, they're licking their chops waiting for you [Pimblett]."
He continued with a strong prediction for a potential matchup between Pimblett and Topuria:
"There's a guy at 145 that you got into it with at the media day, that man will f**king murk you. He will make you look like you are right now, a fairly average fighter that has fans. They put you in a co-main. You're not ready for the co-main son, not yet."
McCarthy's comments resemble what plenty around the sport were saying leading up to Paddy Pimblett's pay-per-view debut. Following the unranked lightweight's controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon, the belief that the UFC is attempting to push him to stardom has only grown.
Watch John McCarthy share his thoughts on Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria below (starting at the 18:00 mark):