The ending of UFC 317 could lead to one of the biggest fights in UFC history between two top stars.
Ilia Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira in the main event to win the vacant lightweight title in devastating fashion.
While there are other contenders calling Topuria out now that he’s the champion, the undefeated star’s next opponent was seemingly confirmed by a face-off inside the cage.
Dana White didn’t approve of Topuria’s exchange with Paddy Pimblett but it certainly got fans talking about their potential grudge match.
With the history between them, the fight could be huge with Pimblett going as far as to compare it to the biggest matchup in UFC history.
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Paddy Pimblett says his potential fight with Ilia Topuria is the first time since Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Conor McGregor that two opponents have hated each other
During the ESPN post-fight show after UFC 317, Paddy Pimblett joined the panel to give his thoughts on the main event and his face-off with Ilia Topuria.
The two men have spoken about each other a lot over the past few years with their rivalry beginning all the way back in 2022 when they shared the UFC London card.
With Topuria becoming the new lightweight champion and Pimblett coming off of a big win over Michael Chandler in his last fight, their paths appear to have finally collided.
During his interview, Pimblett was asked whether he was prepared to get inside the Octagon if Topuria got his hand raised on Saturday night.
‘The Baddy’ responded by talking about their history with one another, and how not since Khabib Nurmagomedov’s rivalry with Conor McGregor, which led to the biggest fight in UFC history, has there been two stars with this kind of personal feud.
“I’m always ready to do that. We’ve got history. You don’t even need to sell that fight, it sells itself. Two people who genuinely dislike each other. You don’t really see that. We haven’t seen that since Khabib and McGregor. Two people who actually hate each other because I hate him. I wouldn’t even want to finish him fast. I’d want to finish him with a minute left in the fight after I’ve elbowed him 700 times. I want to disfigure him.”
Ilia Topuria revealed why Paddy Pimblett is the opponent he wants to face next
During his post-fight press conference, Ilia Topuria was asked whether after facing off with Paddy Pimblett, this is the fight that he wants next.
He went on to explain why he wants to face ‘The Baddy’ next time out, having recently faced a run of legends whom he has a lot of respect for.
“Yes, that’s the fight I want because with Charles [Oliveira], I had a little bit of a difficult situation because I really like the guy… but with Paddy, I’m really gonna enjoy kicking his ass.”
When Dana White was asked about the potential of bringing Topuria to his home country of Spain, he told the media that it’s unfortunately not an option right now.