Ilia Topuria: Paddy Pimblett issues bold prediction for potential Ilia Topuria fight: "Like McGregor did Aldo"

Paddy Pimblett recently described exactly how he envisions a potential fight against Ilia Topuria playing out. Pimblett walked into the cage and squared off against Topuria after the Georgian-Spaniard's first-round knockout win at UFC 317 to claim the vacant lightweight belt.

During a recent interview with Sky Sports, Pimblett claimed that he keeps having dreams of a 10-second knockout, the same quick way Conor McGregor stopped Jose Aldo. That being said, he doesn’t want the fight to end quickly.

He wants to drag Topuria into the later rounds, land several elbows, and finish him after causing damage. Pimblett said:

"I finish him. I finish him. I don't see him lasting five rounds with me. I genuinely believe I'd finish him. Keep having mad, mad dreams that I finish him in like the first 10 seconds like McGregor did Aldo. That wouldn't be good enough for him. I'd want to beat him up for a consistent couple of rounds, hit him with over like 70 elbows, disfigure him a little bit, and then finish him."

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Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below (11:00):

The two have had bad blood for a long time and even got into a scuffle in a hotel during UFC London fight week in 2022. That tension resurfaced at UFC 317. Pimblett entered the cage following the main event, and Topuria pushed him after the pair exchanged some heated words.

Paddy Pimblett talks about Charles Oliveira's loss to Ilia Topuria at UFC 317

Paddy Pimblett also gave his take on Ilia Topuria’s knockout win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in the aforementioned interview on Sky Sports. He believed Oliveira looked nervous during the walkout and in his approach during the fight.

Pimblett questioned why Oliveira stood in front of a known power puncher instead of using his grappling, saying it played directly into Topuria’s strengths and cost him the fight early:

"Yeah, well, I said before it was like if Ilia catches him in the first two, I can see him knocking him out, and if it goes past that, I can see Charles like using his grappling and his size advantage, but never got to that, did it? Ilia used his power and knocked him out in the first. I did say when they were walking out, though, that Charles looked very nervous and Ilia was very calm, and it made a difference in the fight, I thought."

About the author

Abhishek Ramadasan Nambiar is a journalist who covers MMA at Sportskeeda. As a long-time practitioner of various martial arts, seeing the fusion of different forms into a quest for the ultimate fighter felt both primal and profoundly technical. At Sportskeeda, Abhishek's primary goal is to offer a fresh and distinctive angle through his writing, aiming to provide readers with more than just the basics of MMA. Along with keeping them informed about the latest developments in the sport, he strives to offer valuable insights that enhance their understanding of MMA.

When not writing about MMA, Abhishek often spends time reviewing music or devouring Brian Evanson's and Blake Crouch's work. Sign up to receive news, regular updates, and exclusive coverage.

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Edited by Abhishek Nambiar