Ilia Topuria was surprised by how bad Paddy Pimblett truly is.
Topuria was paying close attention to the Justin Gaethje vs. Pimblett interim lightweight title fight, as whoever won that fight would be his next opponent. Heading into the fight, Topuria admitted he thought Pimblett would win, but was shocked at how bad ‘The Baddy’ truly is.
“At some point, I was rooting for Paddy, as I was thinking that fight would be much bigger than the Justin fight. But, everything happens for a reason. … I was a little surprised at how bad Paddy really is,” Topuria said to Ariel Helwani. “I was expecting him to win, to be honest, to take him down, a different fight. What he did inside the Octagon in that fight really surprised me. He really proved that he’s a little sausage.”
Topuria believes Pimblett showed that they don’t even need to fight, as everyone knows how bad he is.
Ilia Topuria doesn’t think Paddy Pimblett can get better
Part of the reason why Topuria doesn’t think he needs to fight Pimblett is due to his skills.
The lightweight champion, Ilia Topuria, doesn’t think Paddy Pimblett has the skills and technique to improve. So, if they do end up fighting, Topuria believes he’d walk through Pimblett and make it look easy.
“How is he going to gain the skills and technique needed in this sport? That’s basically impossible. He needs to die and be born again. I didn’t even have to step inside the octagon to beat him, so that feels even a little bit better, to be honest,” Topuria added.
With Pimblett losing to Gaethje, Topuria will headline the UFC White House card against Gaethje in what should be a fan-friendly fight. Perhaps if Pimblett can pick up a win in his next fight, a matchup against Topuria can happen next time out.
Do you think we will see Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett fight in the Octagon? Sound off in the comment section, PENN Nation!