Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett’s face-off at UFC 317 got physical years on from the moment that created the animosity between them.
All eyes were on Topuria this past weekend as he successfully shot to become the latest entry into the club of two-division UFC champions on MMA’s biggest stage.
Topuria knocked out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 to achieve that feat and loft two championships onto his shoulders, having previously occupied the featherweight throne.
It didn’t take long for the Spaniard’s potential first challenger to emerge, and it’s a man with whom the champion shares considerable history.
Paddy Pimblett drew Ilia Topuria’s ire by making fun of Georgia’s war with Russia
Moments after Islam Makhachev’s successor was crowned, it looked as if the next 155-pound title fight was being set up.
Topuria faced off with Paddy Pimblett inside the Octagon, pushing ‘The Baddy’ after an exchange of words to force security to intervene and split the pair up.
Their feud has long been public knowledge, having gained mainstream attraction after Topuria and Pimblett almost brawled in London while crossing paths at the fighter hotel.
That, however, was not the spark that lit the fuse.
The animosity between ‘El Matador’ and ‘The Baddy’ arose after the latter made some controversial comments regarding Georgia, the country where Topuria grew up, during a back-and-forth with Guram Kutateladze.
“Lad how stupid are these Georgians man,” Pimblett wrote on X alongside several laughing emojis. “No wonder the Russians terrorise their lives.”
Ilia Topuria was left furious over Paddy Pimblett’s remark
Having seen atrocities during his childhood, Topuria was unsurprisingly riled up by Pimblett’s post.
During an appearance on The MMA Hour after clashing with the Scouser in-person, Topuria explained his anger with Pimblett.
“It didn’t happen because he called me something yesterday. It comes from a long time ago,” Topuria said.
“He was arguing with one of my close friends once on Twitter and he posted (something) like, ‘Now I understand why Russia destroyed Georgia.’ … It makes my blood boil.
“When I saw it, I was surprised,” Topuria continued. “I didn’t believe it when I saw that tweet, because in 2008 I was living in Georgia when the war happened, and it was a very difficult time for me, for my family, for all my friends, for my country. A lot of innocent people, kids, were dying in that war.
“To see how someone is joking about that, it makes my blood boil.”
In his immediate reaction to Pimblett’s controversial post on social media, Topuria warned ‘The Baddy’ that his words would “haunt” him for the rest of his life.
The lightweight kingpin might have the chance to ensure that’s the case by delivering payback to the rising contender inside the cage down the line.