Ilia Topuria names ‘pain in the ass’ UFC contender who he wants to fight

Ilia Topuria says there’s one surging UFC lightweight contender who he hopes to settle some beef with.

Topuria is set to fight for the vacant UFC Lightweight Championship on June 28. He will take on former 155-pound titleholder Charles Oliveira in the main event of UFC 317 in Las Vegas. While “El Matador” must focus on the task at hand, he can’t avoid questions about the rest of the lightweight division.

One name that pops up more often than others is Paddy Pimblett. Topuria welcomes the grudge match to put an end to the drama.

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Ilia Topuria Wants Paddy Pimblett Fight

During an interview with ESPN Deportes, Ilia Topuria said that while he doesn’t think Paddy Pimblett has a rightful claim to fight him, he hopes the bout happens sooner rather than later (via Championship Rounds).

“He’s a hypocrite,” Topuria said. “I’ll tell you, I remember we shared a press conference once and he said something like, ‘I’m fighting on the main card and you’re on the prelims,’ some kind of nonsense. And now I’m thinking, I have two [featherweight] belts, who are you? Who the f*ck is Paddy Pimblett right now? And why would he deserve to fight me right now?

“Honestly, if I could choose a fight, I would fight him because I hate him. He’s a pain in the ass.”

If Topuria and Pimblett continue winning fights, then the two are bound to share the Octagon at some point. Pimblett is currently riding a nine-fight winning streak. He hasn’t suffered a loss since 2018 under the Cage Warriors banner.

In his last two outings, “The Baddy” has snagged “Performance of the Night” bonuses. The wins were over King Green and Michael Chandler. Meanwhile, Topuria has yet to suffer a defeat in his pro MMA career. He’s scored impressive finishes over the likes of Max Holloway and Alexander Volkanovski.