Paddy Pimblett wants to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter against Ilia Topuria and promises a brutal finish inside the Octagon 👀 “I have no fight booked at the minute, but I’d love to fight Ilia Topuria. I’ll beat him that badly and send him down to featherweight. I think me and Ilia would have a brilliant season of The Ultimate Fighter because I’d get under his skin so much that, when we commence the fight, I’d beat him just as McGregor beat Aldo.”
Paddy Pimblett has publicly called out Ilia Topuria, saying he wants to coach a season of The Ultimate Fighter opposite the Spaniard and then meet him in the Octagon.
Pimblett acknowledged he has no fight booked at the moment, but said he would love to face Topuria. He claimed he would beat him so badly that Topuria would be sent back down to featherweight. The Englishman said the two would make a brilliant TUF season because he would get under Topuria's skin, and he compared the eventual fight to Conor McGregor's win over Jose Aldo. This is one fighter's call-out, not a booked or announced matchup.
The fighters
Pimblett, known as "The Baddy," is 24-4-0 and ranked fifth in the lightweight division. The 31-year-old from Liverpool trains at Next Generation MMA Liverpool and fights from an orthodox stance. He stands five-foot-ten with a 73-inch reach. His striking numbers are solid: 5.48 significant strikes landed per minute at 52 percent accuracy, along with 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Topuria, nicknamed "El Matador," is 17-1-0 and holds the top spot in the lightweight rankings. He is also ranked number one pound-for-pound. The 29-year-old from Spain trains with Climent Club and is listed at five-foot-seven with a 69-inch reach. He lands 4.81 significant strikes per minute at 48 percent accuracy and averages 1.96 takedowns per 15 minutes.
Why it matters
- Pimblett is ranked fifth at lightweight, while Topuria sits at number one, so the call-out targets the top of the division.
- The style contrast is clear on paper: Pimblett has the height and reach advantage and a higher strike output, while Topuria brings a stronger takedown rate.
- Pimblett's TUF pitch leans on the coaching-season build-up, a format that has historically fueled rivalries before a fight is made.
Neither a TUF season nor a fight between the two has been announced.
