"It makes my blood boil" - Ilia Topuria on what led to the altercation with Paddy Pimblett
Ilia Topuria recently weighed in on his altercation with Paddy Pimblett. According to 'El Matador', his feud with Pimblett wasn't the result of any immediate comment but had deeper roots.
Topuria revealed that he bore a grudge against Pimbeltt after 'The Baddy' made insensitive comments about Georgia. The Liverpudlian made fun of the Russian occupation of Georgia during a Twitter exchange with Georgian fighter Guram Kutateladze.
Topuria recently told Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour:
"So it didn't happen because he called me something yesterday. It comes from a long time ago. He was arguing with one of my close friends, with Guram, once in Twitter and he post like, 'And now I understand why Russia destroyed Georgia. Because you are dumbs'. And it makes my blood boil. You know when I saw, I was like surprised. I didn't believe it when I saw the tweet. Because in 2008, I was living in Georgia when that war happened. And it was a very difficult time for me, my family."
Watch Ilia Topuria's interview with Ariel Helwani below:
Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett crossed paths with each other at the fighter hotel ahead of their respective bouts at UFC London. In a video that has since gone viral, Pimblett is seen hurling a bottle of sanitizer at 'El Matador', who responded with a punch. Topuria's teammates eventually pulled him away, preventing its escalation into a full fledged brawl.
Watch the altercation between Pimblett and Topuria below:
Paddy getting into it with Ilia Topuria heading into #UFCLondon this weekend @theufcbaddy @SpinninBackfist https://t.co/F6m2M1h92H
Paddy Pimblett questions Ilia Topuria's nationality
While Ilia Topuria was enraged by Paddy Pimblett's comments about Georgia, 'The Baddy' has now questioned the 25-year-old's allegiance to his country. According to Pimblett, Topuria is not Georgian as he currently resides in Spain. The Liverpudlian recently told Robbie Fox on YouTube:
"He's made himself look stupid. And the worst thing is, he's not even Georgian. He lives in Benidorm. You live in Spain, you know what I mean? You little sausage. You're not even Georgian. He goes on like he's Georgian, he's German, he's Spanish. What are you, lad? Make your mind up!"
Watch Paddy Pimblett's interview with Robbie Fox below:
Born to Georgian parents in Germany, Topuria moved to Georgia with his family at the age of seven. He then moved to Spain at the age of 15 where he began his mixed-martial arts.