"I hate him" - Ilia Topuria says if he could pick anyone, he'd fight Paddy Pimblett

Former UFC featherweight kingpin Ilia Topuria has said that if he could pick any opponent of his choice, it would be surging lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett.

Topuria and Pimblett have been at odds since the inception of their UFC careers. Pimblett is yet to grab the UFC strap but remains undefeated in the promotion, boasting wins over Michael Chandler, King Green, and Tony Ferguson, among others. The Brit wants to fight a ranked lightweight next and for UFC gold in 2026.

Meanwhile, Topuria, who vacated his featherweight strap earlier this year, will lock horns with Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight strap at UFC 317 later this month.

During a recent sit-down with ESPN Deportes, Topuria, while talking about the bad blood between him and 'The Baddy,' took a dig at the latter and called him a "hypocrite." Reigniting his feud with Pimblett, Topuria said:

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"He's a hypocrite. I remember we shared a press conference once, and he said something like I'm fighting on the main card and you're on the prelims, some kind of nonsense. And now I'm thinking I've to belts. Where are you? Who the fu*k is Paddy Pimblett right now, and why would he deserve to fight me?"

Next, Topuria expressed interest in a fight with Pimblett to settle their differences. He labelled the grudge match as a "real fight."

"But the truth is, if I were to choose any fight, I would fight him because I hate him. He's a pain in the a*s. I would like to give that fight to the fans because we haven't seen a real fight in the UFC for a long time. Two people who really want to fight each other."

Check out Ilia Topuria's comments below:

Ilia Topuria issues chilling warning to Paddy Pimbeltt

In the same interview attached above, Ilia Topuria also had a strong message/warning for Paddy Pimblett, if they ever clash inside the octagon. He said:

"I know what would happen, and it won't be good for him."

The interviewer then asked 'El Matador' to predict what would happen in a potential Topuria vs. Pimblett bout. The Georgian-Spaniard quipped:

"Same thing that's happened to everyone else."

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Edited by Subham