Paddy Pimblett wants to settle his feud with Ilia Topuria on The Ultimate Fighter. In an interview with Kolos MMA, as reported by MMA Mania, Pimblett pitched a coaching season against the former champion as the way to build the fight.
Pimblett’s Pitch: Six Weeks To Get Under Topuria’s Skin
Pimblett has no fight booked, and he made clear who he wants. “I have no fight booked at the minute, but I would love to fight Ilia Topuria,” he said.
His plan runs through the show. “I think me and Ilia Topuria would be a brilliant season of The Ultimate Fighter because I’d get under his skin so much, that when we come into the fight, I’d beat him just as fast as McGregor beat Aldo,” Pimblett said. “The Ultimate Fighter would be a very entertaining six weeks to say the least if it was me and him.”
McGregor finished Jose Aldo in 13 seconds at UFC 194 after weeks of psychological pressure, so Pimblett is casting himself in the McGregor role, with the cameras doing the work before the cage door closes.
He also had a prediction for how it ends. “I’ll beat him that bad that I’d send him back down to featherweight,” Pimblett said.
Where The Feud Stands
The two have been at odds since March 2022, when a hotel lobby run-in ahead of UFC London turned ugly. The tension spiked again in June 2025 at UFC 317, when Pimblett was brought into the Octagon after Topuria’s win over Charles Oliveira and Topuria shoved him. Afterward Pimblett said Topuria’s vow to submit him was empty and told the UFC, “Get it booked!”, per LowKick MMA.
The timing is awkward for the TUF idea. Topuria is coming off his loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC White House and says he is medically cleared to return, though his trainer has said he will be ready by February 2027. Dana White has called a Pimblett fight one of two great options for Topuria’s comeback, but nothing has been signed.
