Paddy Pimblett Wants Topuria Next — and Promises a McGregor-Aldo Repeat

Paddy Pimblett isn't short on confidence, and he's not short on targets either. After choking out Benoit Saint Denis in just 52 seconds at UFC 329, "The Baddy" has positioned himself for a defining fight at 155 — and his preferred opponent, if there's no belt involved, is Ilia Topuria. His promise? A finish as quick as Conor McGregor's 13-second demolition of Jose Aldo back in 2015.

Pimblett told Kolos MMA he'd love to send Topuria back down to featherweight, and floated the idea of the two coaching opposite seasons of The Ultimate Fighter. He reckons he'd get so far under Topuria's skin that the fight itself would end almost as fast as McGregor-Aldo, one of the most famous finishes in company history.

The Grudge and the Logjam

The beef between the two has simmered for years — back when Topuria was collecting the featherweight strap and Pimblett was climbing the lightweight ladder. Pimblett was cageside at T-Mobile Arena when Topuria beat Charles Oliveira for the belt, and the pair even squared off in the octagon afterward. A fight was teased but never signed.

The lightweight picture is tangled right now. Champion Justin Gaethje is weighing his next move, with Topuria angling for a rematch after losing the title at UFC White House, and Arman Tsarukyan lurking off a statement first-round knockout of Mauricio Ruffy at UFC 331. Tsarukyan, ranked No. 2 at 24-3 with six submissions, has emerged as the clear sporting threat. Whichever contender Gaethje skips could land in Pimblett's lap.

Pimblett has no time for Topuria's post-fight complaints. Topuria has accused Gaethje of loading his gloves in their June meeting, which Pimblett called pure excuse-making. He argued Gaethje won fair and square, and pointed out that he himself never leaned on an eye poke or a low blow to explain his own loss to Gaethje — he simply conceded the better man won.

If the belt is on the line, Pimblett says he'd pick Gaethje, because he wants to be champion. But stripped of titles entirely, he'd choose Topuria purely for the satisfaction. His real venom, though, is saved for Tsarukyan, whom Pimblett dismissed as a rich kid handed everything on a silver platter — promising that at some point he'll render him unconscious with a choke or a strike.