A former UFC champion believes no matchup at present carries extra weight than a possible showdown between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett.
Final weekend in the principle occasion of UFC 317, Topuria made his dream a actuality, stopping former light-weight champion Charles Oliveira with a brutal first-round knockout to seize the vacant 155-pound title and cement his standing as a two-division UFC champion.
Instantly after his emphatic victory, “El Matador” got here face-to-face with Pimblett in a tense staredown contained in the Octagon that rapidly escalated right into a heated change. The newly topped champion punctuated the second by shoving the Brit, including gas to what now looks like an unavoidable showdown within the making.
Topuria and Pimblett’s rivalry traces again to March 2022, when the 2 practically got here to blows in a heated altercation on the fighter lodge forward of UFC London. What started as dangerous blood rapidly escalated into full-blown animosity, with tensions flaring once more throughout a close to brawl on the UFC 282 pre-fight press convention.
Since then, each males have repeatedly taken pictures at one another in interviews and on social media, conserving the feud very a lot alive. Now, with Ilia Topuria reigning as the brand new light-weight king, a long-awaited conflict with “The Baddy” could possibly be subsequent on the horizon.
Michael Bisping Sees Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett As UFC’s Hottest Potential Matchup
Throughout a latest video on his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping shared his ideas on who must be Ilia Topuria’s first title challenger. Whereas the UFC Corridor of Famer acknowledged that elite contenders like Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje are ready within the wings, he argued that the promotion could be sensible to money in on the long-standing rivalry between Topuria and Paddy Pimblett.
Bisping went on to clarify that the deep-rooted animosity between Topuria and Pimblett provides a layer of intrigue and marketability.
