Ilia Topuria Doesn’t See UFC Booking Him Vs. Paddy Pimblett Anytime Soon, Would Love To Fight Brian Ortega Next
Ilia Topuria would love nothing more than to fight Paddy Pimblett inside of the UFC octagon.
Although the rivals have now been booked on the same fight cards on two occasions, Topuria isn’t sure that’s on purpose. He believes his run-ins with Pimblett may be incidental rather than on purpose.
“Maybe yes, maybe no,” he said Monday on The MMA Hour. “But at the same time, I feel like the UFC’s protecting him me. I don’t know why. In reality, that’s the fight to make right now, because it’s one of the biggest fights in the UFC. We can perfectly sell a pay-per-view. That fight makes more excitement for people than [many] championship fights.”
In addition to cutting a great sizzle reel at the presser, Pimblett and Topuria both emerged from this past Saturday’s pay-per-view with another win on their respective records. A large portion of the MMA audience would disagree on that fact, arguing Pimblett lost to Jared Gordon in the co-main event. Topuria would not disagree.
“He lost the fight,” Topuria said. “They gave him a Christmas gift. Everyone [thought] he lost. When I hear 29-28. I think that Jared won the fight. Who cares. He wins his last fight with a decision – this is the time I’ve spent in my last four fights.”
If Topuria is wrong, he’ll happily accept a fight with Pimblett. But he doesn’t want to go to London without extra concessions.
“If it’s against Paddy, the money’s right – because I have to go in his home and fight against the whole crowd,” he said. “It’s very tough when you walk inside the cage and the crowd is against you. I would love to make that fight happen in Spain.”
“In reality, I would love to focus on my weight class,” Topuria said. “I would love to face Brian Ortega. He never turned down the fight, so now I want my managers to make an offer to his team. I know he has injury now to his shoulder, so we’re going to ask him how much time he needs to get healthy. I think that he’s a warrior and he’s going to accept the fight.”
A fight against a two-time title challenger would get Topuria much closer to the thing every UFC fighter ultimately desires: a title. A fight against Pimblett, meanwhile, would offer a reward to his ego, and maybe to his wallet.
At this point, the Spaniard seems more intent on choosing the former. The promotion can cash in on the grudge whenever it wants. Championship fights are harder to pin down.
You can listen to all of Bodyslam’s podcasts by following us on Spotify and subscribing to our YouTube Channel, or any of your favorite podcast platforms.
Follow me on Twitter: @WhoElseButRami
Follow us on Twitter: @BodyslamNet
