Ilia Topuria Eyes Future Title Defense Against Paddy Pimblett

As he recently predicted, Paddy Pimblett could be close to a title shot. 

Former featherweight champ Ilia Topuria fights Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight title in the main event of UFC 317 on Saturday in Las Vegas. Pimblett and Topuria share a rivalry that started with “The Baddy’s” controversial comments about Georgia. Matters came to a head when they ran across each other ahead of a UFC Fight Night in London in March 2022, and Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at the Georgian-Spaniard. 

The two have since traded multiple barbs on social media over the years. Pimblett initially wanted to welcome Topuria to the lightweight division. While that didn’t materialize, Pimblett recently predicted that he could instantly be in the title mix if Topuria beats “do Bronx” at UFC 317. However, “El Matador” believes Pimblett is still another win away from a title shot.

Topuria Says Rival Needs ‘One More’ Win to Earn Title Shot

“Hopefully Paddy [is next]. Hopefully, he gets one more fight, he wins that fight, of course. And finally, we can be in the same Octagon together.”

Topuria has eight UFC wins with six finishes, including a featherweight title win over Alexander Volkanovski, followed by a defense against Max Holloway. Meanwhile, Pimblett is undefeated in seven UFC outings with five finishes and is coming off a signature victory over Michael Chandler. 

⚡️Ilia Topuria wants to fight Paddy Pimblett after he beats Charles Oliveira:

"Hopefully he gets one more fight, he wins, it and we can finally be in the same octagon

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