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Paddy Pimblett shared his unfiltered take on what he would’ve done in Islam Makhachev’s position with the whole Ilia Topuria situation.
Makhachev will move up to welterweight to fight Jack Della Maddalena after Belal Muhammad’s loss cleared the path. But in doing so, he leaves behind a lightweight title picture that was beginning to heat up.
Topuria had already vacated his featherweight belt to chase gold at 155, and a potential showdown with Makhachev excited the fans. However, now that the fight is off the radar, Pimblett said that he would’ve taken on Topuria first, then fought Della Maddalena a few months later.
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Speaking in a recent interview on UFC on TNT Sports, he said:
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"If I was Islam, I would have fought Topuria, beat Topuria, and then fought Jack Della four months later in Abu Dhabi. But I can see why Islam didn’t fight Topuria [and] he’s already beat featherweights twice, saying he doesn’t want another featherweight. Loads of people think Ilia beats Islam, which I don’t."
Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below:
Pimblett's take hinted towards a version of events that would’ve checked all the right boxes. However, Makhachev, having already beaten Alexander Volkanovski twice, made it clear he’s not interested in another fight with a featherweight fighter moving up.
Topuria will now face Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 for the vacant lightweight title. Makhachev, meanwhile, prepares for a welterweight clash with Della Maddalena potentially later this year.
Paddy Pimblett calls out UFC's alleged double standards in Jon Jones and Islam Makhachev's case
Paddy Pimblett isn’t buying the UFC’s decision to strip Islam Makhachev of his lightweight title while Jon Jones continues to hold onto heavyweight gold. Makhachev recently vacated his belt to move up and chase a second title at welterweight.
Pimblett pointed out that Jones has fought just once since winning the heavyweight crown in early 2023, while Makhachev defended his title four times, including multiple short-notice bouts. Sharing his thoughts on the situation in the aforementioned interview with TNT Sports, he said:
"If you're making Islam vacate, [Jon] Jones needs to be stripped. If you're making Islam vacate after 4 defenses, fighting people on short notice, you should let him try and be double champ."
Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below:
