Ilia Topuria could have his eyes on more than Charles Oliveira in Las Vegas this week ahead of UFC 317.
Topuria bid farewell to the featherweight division this year following a brief reign on the throne, with the difficult weight cut driving the 28-year-old back to 155 pounds.
After Topuria knocked out Alexander Volkanovski and defended his 145-pound title against Max Holloway in 2024, he’ll look to have a different belt wrapped around his waist on June 28.
In the way of Topuria’s goal is Oliveira, but days out from their battle in the UFC 317 main event, another lightweight has sent ‘El Matador’ a threat.
Paddy Pimblett says he won’t cause trouble with Ilia Topuria, but he’ll finish it
Among those vying for the chance to challenge the Oliveira vs. Topuria winner down the line is Paddy Pimblett.
‘The Baddy’ has climbed the ranks with an undefeated Octagon run, with Pimblett most recently dominating Michael Chandler in Miami this past April.
Though their career paths have remained separate, Pimblett and Topuria share one of the most heated feuds in the UFC. And with the Scouser in Las Vegas for International Fight Week, the chances of an altercation are increased.
“I’m going to be there in Las Vegas on June 28 cageside,” Pimblett told Casino.org. “If he mentions me, I’ll be getting pulled into the cage and I’ll be laughing my head off. It’ll be quite funny.”
While Pimblett insists he won’t be the one starting things, he warned that he won’t shy away from jeopardizing UFC 317 by knocking Topuria out.
“I don’t cause trouble; I just turn up! The time in London when Ilia got the hand sanitizer bottle bounced off his head, I was on my own and he tried to jump me with about nine people. It’s not me who causes mischief; I’ll just be there with my manager and cameraman.
“If I see him and it goes off, you never know, I might knock him out and he might not even be able to fight Oliveira. I’m not one of those who turns up to try and cause mayhem. If he wants to try and start something though, I’ll finish it, just like I did last time.
“I’ll be there from Wednesday, so we’ll see what happens.”
Pimblett and Topuria almost brawled in London, where a physical altercation at the fighter hotel prior to a 2022 event was quickly split up. That incident was sparked by the Scouser’s remarks about Georgia on social media.
Ilia Topuria could have a fight week run-in with another UFC rival
Pimblett isn’t the only lightweight enemy who could distract Topuria in the days leading up to UFC 317.
Ahead of his chance to achieve two-division glory, the Spaniard’s attention has recently drifted away from Oliveira and onto Arman Tsarukyan.
The Russian-Armenian contender will weigh-in as the backup fighter for Saturday’s main event, months after injury took away Tsarukyan’s title shot on late notice in Los Angeles.
Given Tsarukyan’s back-and-forth with Topuria, UFC staff would do well to keep them apart throughout International Fight Week.