Paddy Pimblett reveals all!!! Paddy Pimblett is one of the biggest stars in the UFC and his rivalry with Ilia Topuria seems inevitable that they cross paths. Back in January Pimblett went through an absolute war with Justin Gaethje and showed he not only talk he is a warrior. The beef between Pimblett and Topuria is always in the air whenever news drops on either fighter but Paddy had his eyes set on something else. Everyone fighting in the UFC has there eyes set on undisputed gold and to write there names in the history books as a world champion. Pimblett says he has hatred for Topuria but Justin has the title which Paddy has had dreams of holding since he was 15 years old and would take the rematch with Justin over Topuria due to the gold. Will Pimblett become Champion?
Paddy Pimblett says he would take a title rematch with Justin Gaethje over a fight with Ilia Topuria, even though he admits to a deep dislike of the Spaniard. The Liverpool lightweight's reasoning is simple: Gaethje holds the belt, and Pimblett has dreamed of being a world champion since he was 15 years old.
The comments land as the long-simmering Pimblett-Topuria tension keeps surfacing whenever either man is in the news. Pimblett, though, is choosing gold over grudge.
Pimblett, 31, is 24-4 and ranked fifth at lightweight. His shot at the title came at UFC 324 on January 24, where he lost a unanimous decision to Gaethje over five rounds. His most recent recorded fight was a first-round submission win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329 on July 11. He lands 5.48 significant strikes per minute at 52 percent accuracy and averages 1.4 submission attempts per 15 minutes.
Gaethje, 37, is the lightweight champion at 28-5. He has beaten both men in this story. After the decision over Pimblett, he stopped Topuria in the fourth round of their title fight at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14. The American lands 6.48 significant strikes per minute at 58 percent accuracy.
Topuria, 29, is 17-1 and sits first in the lightweight rankings and in the pound-for-pound list. Before the Gaethje loss, he had stopped Max Holloway and Charles Oliveira in title fights.
Why it matters
- Gaethje has beaten both Pimblett and Topuria in the last nine months, so either man's path to the belt runs through the champion.
- Pimblett is 1-1 since the Gaethje loss in his recorded fights, with the Saint Denis submission keeping him in the title picture.
- On paper, Pimblett holds a three-inch edge in height and a three-inch edge in reach over Topuria. Pimblett's reach is 73 inches against Topuria's 69.
A rematch with Gaethje would put Pimblett back in the cage with the only man to beat him over five rounds, while the Topuria feud stays on hold for now.
