"He’s not McGregor" - Paddy Pimblett dismisses Ilia Topuria's chances of landing title fight against Islam Makhachev

Paddy Pimblett believes that reigning UFC featherweight king Ilia Topuria’s chances of fighting Islam Makhachev are sleek.

Pimblett and Topuria have had a strained relationship since the inception of their UFC careers. The Spaniard has proven his stardom by climbing up the ranks, winning the UFC featherweight title and defending it once.

However, Pimblett is currently the No. 12-ranked lightweight. ‘The Baddy’ has a pro-MMA record of 22-3 and boasts wins over King Green and Tony Ferguson, among others. The Liverpool native also has a six-fight UFC win streak currently and is rumored to fight at UFC 314. However, the promotion has not confirmed the same.

Pimblett recently appeared on Blood Red: The Liverpool FC Podcast and revealed that he doesn’t second Islam Makhachev vs Ilia Topuria:

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"I can’t see Ilia fighting Islam. He’s only defended the belt once, normally you need to defend the belt like three times. And he’s not that big of a star to just jump straight in. He is not [Conor] McGregor to just jump right up and fight for the other belt, so I can’t personally see that happening. But we’ll see what happens."

Pimblett also said:

"I heard Ilia’s headlining the UFC 314 event against Volk, but you don’t know anything until it’s finalized with the UFC.”

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (0:09):

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Paddy Pimblett teases a UFC return in a few weeks

Paddy Pimblett last fought Bobby Green at UFC 304 and won via submission in round 1. In 2025, there have been rumors that the Liverpool native could fight Dustin Poirier or Michael Chandler.

Concerning Pimblett, UFC CEO Dana White recently revealed that the promotion has not considered his future fights yet.

However, 'The Baddy' recently revealed to his followers on YouTube that he has started training and his next bout under the UFC banner will be announced in no time:

"Now lad, the week’s all about training. Spar Tuesday-Thursday... Have to get a few runs in. Get the fitness back up, get the weight back down. Getting ready for a fight. Obviously, everyone doesn’t even know it still, but I’ve got an opponent and it just needs to get announced.”

Pimblett added:

"It feels good, getting right back into it. Started the diet yesterday. Ten weeks out. So, I’ll make weight easily.”

Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (1:28):

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Subham is a dynamic writer and editor at Sportskeeda, with a background in Health and Fitness, MMA, True-Crime, and Pop Culture.
A passionate cricketer and seasoned cyclist, Subham has completed grueling 200, 300, and 600-kilometer rides and competed in numerous races and brevets. His ultimate goal is to summit Mount Everest.
When not pursuing athletic feats, he enjoys motorbike rides for mental clarity. Subham finds motivation in role models like Conor McGregor and Yuvraj Singh. He has a diverse taste in music, including Post Malone, Machine Gun Kelly, Russ, and Central Cee.

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Edited by Nicolaas Ackermann