Ilia Topuria criticizes Paddy Pimblett performance, discusses title plans

Featherweight champion Ilia Topuria expressed disappointment in Paddy Pimblett's performance against Renato Moicano, stating he knew Pimblett was a poor fighter but didn't realize to what extent. Topuria also revealed that if he moves up to welterweight to fight Islam Makhachev, he would not be stripped of his lightweight title as he plans to continue defending the 145-pound belt. In other news, Jiri Prochazka said he can't move past his recent loss even after the birth of his child, claiming he was only at 40-50 percent capacity due to injury and fighting in sparring mode while waiting for the referee to stop the bout. Magomed Ankalaev, through his manager Ali Abdelaziz, called out Khalil Rountree, offering him a 25-minute striking masterclass while questioning whether Rountree could last that long. The UFC announced several new matchups appealing to hardcore fans.