WATCH: Paddy Pimblett tells Bryce Mitchell to "smoke that clown" Ilia Topuria during recent backstage interaction
Paddy Pimblett will take on Jared Gordon at UFC 282 this weekend, but it appears that Gordon is not the only fighter on the Scouser's mind this fight week.
Ilia Topuria, who will face Bryce Mitchell on this Saturday's card, was involved in a scuffle with Pimblett at the fighter hotel at UFC London earlier this year. The pair still share a mutual dislike of one another and traded insults at the pre-fight press conference.
Footage has now emerged of 'The Baddy' talking to Bryce Mitchell about Topuria backstage prior to the UFC 282 presser. The lightweight prospect expressed how eager he is to see 'Thug Nasty' beat up his opponent.
Pimblett said the following:
"I can't wait to see you smoke this clown on the weekend lad, I can't wait to see it... He talks a lot of s**t lad, and doesn't back it up."
Watch the video below:
Paddy 🤝 Bryce Mitchell
hating Ilia Topuria https://t.co/aSaC0Zsl54
Ilia Topuria recently claimed that Paddy Pimblett has been hidden from him by the UFC all fight week to avoid another confrontation.
It may not be such a bad idea to keep these two fighters separate, as 'The Baddy' also claimed that if he crossed paths with Topuria during fight week, he would break his jaw.
The beef all started in London after Pimblett shared some choice words about Topuria's home country of Georgia and its conflict with Russia. This prompted 'El Matador' to confront the Scouser at the fighter hotel, where the mayhem unfolded.
Paddy Pimblett reflects on his three MMA losses - "I needed to lose in life at that point"
Paddy Pimblett has a record of 19-3 in his professional MMA career and is currently on a five-fight winning streak.
In the build-up to Pimblett's fight at UFC 282, the Scouser sat down with Daniel Cormier to reflect on his career thus far. 'The Baddy' spoke about the importance of the three losses he has suffered in his career.
Paddy Pimblett's first loss in MMA was against Cameron Else in 2013, when he was submitted. 'The Baddy' stated that his loss to Else was the only "true" defeat of his career.
Pimblett's two other defeats came in 2017 and 2018, to opponents that 'The Baddy' claimed were steroid users. The Liverpool native stated that his two most recent defeats were life lessons more than actual MMA losses, due to the circumstances surrounding the bouts.
'The Baddy' said this:
"The only loss I consider a loss is my first one... The other two, I was injured going into both, and they were both steroid abusers. It's funny 'cause I don't consider them losses in the MMA world, but I needed to lose in life at that point."
Watch the interview below: