Ilia Topuria has moved past the idea of fighting Paddy Pimblett: “He’s not worth anything”

By Harry Kettle - June 21, 2023

UFC fighter Ilia Topuria has moved past the idea of fighting Paddy Pimblett, believing it’s not worth his time and effort.

Dating back to UFC London last year, Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett have had a big problem with one another. In fact, it stretches back even beyond that, to a social media interaction between the two.

It seemed inevitable that we’d see the two of them lock horns at some point in the future. After all, both are great action fighters, and both are pretty popular in their own right.

RELATED: ILIA TOPURIA BELIEVES UFC “PROTECTING” PADDY PIMBLETT FROM FIGHT AGAINST HIM: “IT’S ONE OF THE BIGGEST FIGHTS IN THE UFC”

However, it now feels like they’re going in very different directions. Topuria is preparing to battle Josh Emmett at featherweight, whereas Paddy Pimblett aims to get back into the cage at 155 pounds.

During a recent interview, Topuria explained why Pimblett isn’t really on his mind anymore.

“Paddy, you know what happens with Paddy?” Topuria said in Spanish during a recent media appearance. “He’s a person that media attention wise, he’s big. But as a fighter we all know he’s not worth anything. He’s not even ranked. He hasn’t done anything.

Topuria doesn’t want Pimblett

“So giving merit to a person that’s only where he is because he knows how to sell himself well, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We’re athletes. In the UFC, the difference between them and other organizations is that here what’s valued is the sport and Paddy, sporting wise, hasn’t achieved anything. That’s why he doesn’t interest me at all.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

Both men seem destined to accomplish some big things in MMA. For the time being, though, a collision with each other isn’t on the cards.

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Topics:

Ilia Topuria Paddy Pimblett UFC