UFC fighter Ilia Topuria has spoken about his rivalry with Paddy Pimblett.
The pair first clashed in the build-up to UFC London last March over messages exchanged on social media, resulting in ‘The Baddy’ throwing a bottle of hand sanitiser at Topuria’s head. Their heated exchanges continued at a press conference ahead of UFC 282 in December, with both fighters focusing on each other rather than their respective opponents.
Despite the many headlines, it appears that Topuria doesn’t expect to be fighting Liverpool's Pimblett any time soon. The Georgian is preparing for his first main event against Josh Emmett this weekend, where a sixth-straight UFC win would place him firmly in featherweight title contention, while ‘The Baddy’ is currently recovering from injury.
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“(Pimblett's) a person that media attention-wise, he’s big. But as a fighter we all know he’s not worth anything. He’s not even ranked. He hasn’t done anything,” Topuria said.
“So giving merit to a person that’s only where he is because he knows how to sell himself well, I don’t think that’s the right thing to do. We’re athletes. In the UFC, the difference between them and other organisations is that here what’s valued is the sport and Paddy, sporting wise, hasn’t achieved anything. That’s why he doesn’t interest me at all.”
Pimblett, 28, has won his first four fights in the UFC and looks to be on the verge of a top 15 ranking in the lightweight division but is recovering from ankle surgery, following his controversial decision win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282. The former Cage Warriors champion got married last month and has given an update on when he is hoping to return to the octagon.
“I can’t wait,” Pimblett said on his YouTube channel. “I’m hoping to fight before the end of the year to be honest.”
