UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett doesn’t like the idea of Ilia Topuria being granted an immediate title shot at 155 pounds.
Topuria has set his sights on achieving two-division glory after choosing to vacate the featherweight gold this year following just one defense. “El Matador” went 2-0 in 2024, dethroning Alexander Volkanovski before becoming the first to knock out Max Holloway.
Due to an apparent struggle to make the 145-pound weight limit, the Spaniard will move forward as a permanent figure in the lightweight division. And given his success below, Topuria has seemingly been expecting a showdown with Islam Makhachev straight away.
During a recent interview with Jon Anik for ESPN MMA, Paddy Pimblett rejected that as a logical next fight for the champion. “The Baddy,” who has long had a rivalry with Topuria, insisted that current top contender Arman Tsarukyan is far more deserving of the opportunity.
“I felt a bit bad for him (Tsarukyan) when Dana said, ‘No, he’s not next. He’s going to have to go back to the drawing board.’ I was like, wow, shots fired,” Pimblett said. “I think personally, Arman still deserves the next title shot. Islam’s already beat Charles (Oliveira), beat (Dustin) Poirier.
“I think the only person right for him to fight is Arman,” Pimblett continued. “Arman deserves that title shot more than ‘Hand Sanitizer Boy’ (Topuria) does.”
Tsarukyan entered the year with a title shot in the bank, but a last-second withdrawal from UFC 311 left the promotion bumping him down the pecking order.
While the Russian-Armenian looks ahead to his chance to restore top contender status, Paddy Pimblett will soon have the chance to climb the ranks opposite former title challenger Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in Miami next month.
