Ilia Topuria’s next fight should be against Paddy Pimblett, says ex-UFC champion

If one former UFC titleholder had his way, then Ilia Topuria’s first lightweight title defense would be against Paddy Pimblett.

Topuria and Pimblett had a staredown inside the Octagon at the conclusion of UFC 317 back in June. Topuria had just knocked out Charles Oliveira to secure the UFC Lightweight Championship. Dana White was none too pleased with “The Baddy” being allowed inside the cage once Topuria’s fight was over.

Still, one can’t deny that the matchup has the potential to be a lucrative fight. During an episode of the “Anik & Florian Podcast,” Dominick Cruz said the time to strike is now (h/t MMAJunkie).

“This thing’s about paychecks at a time. We’re prize fighters,” Cruz said. “We’re not anything else. We want to say we’re all these other things. We are prize fighters. You put a prize out there, we take the prize, you win it, or you lose it. Who’s the biggest prize? We all know the answer to this between those three.

“So, if you’re smart, you take that fight like that guy’s the bag. Now, not to say the other guys aren’t good, but the problem is Paddy, it’s just that he promotes, he talks, he’s got a very big package. It just makes sense to make the most money with that fight. But now with this new deal coming forward, too, does that change the layout of if you care who you fight. Now are you just looking for the better, easier matchup?”

There are certainly other worthy contenders such as Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje. Max Holloway is on that list as well, but he will be out of action for a while after suffering an injury during his trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier. Topuria scored a knockout win over “Blessed” in a featherweight title fight back in 2024.