Paddy Pimblett looks set to challenge for the UFC lightweight title in his next outing.
Though Ilia Topuria suggested that Pimblett might not be next following their heated face-off inside the Octagon at UFC 317, there’s no denying that it’s the biggest fight in the lightweight division.
‘The Baddy’ had been linked to a fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 319 next month before Pimblett shut these rumors down.
While many of his fellow fighters don’t believe that Pimblett can beat Topuria, this isn’t the way that the Brit and his team see the matchup.
In fact, Pimblett believes that he holds one key advantage over ‘El Matador’ which could drastically change how a fight between them plays out.
- READ MORE: ‘Never be a company man’ … Justin Gaethje dubbed UFC 317’s ‘biggest loser’ after title fight snub
Paddy Pimblett believes that he has a mental edge over Ilia Topuria who gets emotional around him
In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Paddy Pimblett spoke about his rivalry with Ilia Topuria and what went down at UFC 317.
It didn’t take long for the two men to get intense with one another once Pimblett joined the new lightweight champion inside the Octagon.
Their rivalry goes back several years and while ‘The Baddy’ has expressed how much he dislikes Topuria, he still believes that he holds a mental edge over ‘El Matador’.
Pimblett referenced Topuria’s reaction when they came face-to-face, claiming that he believes the champion lets his emotions overcome him when they’re in the same vicinity.
The lightweight contender believes that the undefeated star’s emotions, and his incredibly high self-confidence, will play a big part when they finally go head-to-head.
“He gets emotional with me. As you know, in a fight, emotion can play a big factor on how you fight. I just think I’m his kryptonite and people can laugh at me all they want when I say it but I genuinely believe I’d finish him.
“He’d come out and try and absolutely knock my head off and he wouldn’t be able to. The amount he’s spoken about finishing me in the first round, when that first round ends, if he hasn’t finished me by then and I’m still there, it would be a mental thing in his head.”
Paddy Pimblett admits that he’s not the most deserving lightweight title challenger
The face-off between Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria led to some arguing that #1 contender Arman Tsarukyan should be the next in line instead.
Pimblett addressed this during the interview and partially agreed with this sentiment, though he also added that there are drawbacks to Tsarukyan’s claim.
‘The Baddy’ went on to reference how there are plenty of examples of fighters getting title shots when they’re not the most deserving in response to the criticism that he has faced.
“To be honest, Arman’s probably most deserving but at the same time, is he? Because he split decisioned Charles [Oliveira] in a fight [that] a lot of people think Charles won. It just annoys me when people say I’m not deserving… People have a different opinion when it’s me. When it’s these other fighters, it’s alright.”