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Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett took their internet feud into the real world on Tuesday, nearly getting into a brawl at the UFC: London fighter hotel.
Footage of the incident showed Topuria approaching Pimblett and swinging at him. Pimblett stepped back out of the way and threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria. Further violence was avoided only because their corners and UFC staff intervened.
The animosity between the two comes from Pimblett making offensive jokes about the Russo-Georgian war, which killed hundreds of Georgian citizens and displaced an estimated quarter million people. Pimblett later apologized, but Topuria and other Georgian UFC fighters have not been quick to forgive.
In an interview on The MMA Hour, Topuria made it clear that he wanted to settle their beef in the octagon.
"I saw that he was saying today 'He is nobody, he is small,' something like this. Who the f**k is him? Who the f**k is him, this guy has just one fight in the UFC. And yes, maybe I'm not so tall but I need just one punch and I can put my balls on his forehead. So if he gets the win I really want to fight with him. Even if he doesn't get the win I want to fight him because of my people, because of me. I want to take his head off."
Topuria holds an 11-0 record and is 3-0 in the UFC with his last two fights coming via knockout. And while he previously competed at featherweight, he's moved up to Pimblett's lightweight division for his next fight.
Topuria and Pimblett both fight on Saturday night at UFC: London, Topuria against Jai Herbert and and Pimblett against Rodrigo Vargas.
Watch Ilia Topuria's full interview on The MMA Hour below:
Paddy Pimblett has no interest in a fight with Ilia Topuria
Paddy Pimblett is already a star in the UK despite only having one fight in the UFC. For years he's been a fixture on the local English fight circuit, winning the Cage Warriors featherweight title and winning over fans with his brash personality.
Asked about the incident during a UFC London media scrum, Pimblett said the situation with Topuria had more to do with a lesser-known fighter trying to steal his spotlight.
"Who even is he? Seriously, who is ‘Mr. Hand Sanitizer?’ He’s a no one. He used my name for followers and to gain some publicity and he put a video up and made himself look like a right tool.”
Pimblett may not be excited by the idea of fighting Topuria, but fan interest has certainly spiked following their hotel lobby incident.
