Ilia Topuria: Paddy Pimblett Is "Someone You Can Dominate" — "I'll Put a Flying Knee Into His Forehead"
“He's someone you can dominate. You can dominate him comfortably.”
Ilia Topuria has a message for Paddy Pimblett, and it is not a respectful one. The former two-division champion told ABC.es that Pimblett is a fighter he can dominate comfortably — and he compared him unfavorably to the one man who has beaten them both.
"He's someone you can dominate. You can dominate him comfortably," Topuria said. "He has a sausage body and thinks being big will give him an advantage."
Topuria, 17-1, was speaking in his first interview since losing the lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June. The quotes were reported by MMA Junkie on Monday. Pimblett, 24-4, is the fight Topuria wants next — and the one Pimblett has wanted since July.
The comparison with Gaethje is the point of the whole assessment. Topuria rates Gaethje's grit and durability, and he does not see the same quality in Pimblett.
"He's not like Justin. Justin is a dog. Justin knows how to slip punches, and he's a real dog, and Paddy doesn't have that," Topuria said. "Paddy doesn't have a punch that puts you to sleep. Paddy doesn't have unexpected takedowns. Paddy doesn't have submissions out of nowhere. Paddy is very predictable. You can see everything he's trying to do. I'll land one on him. I'll put a flying knee into his forehead."
"He doesn't take me down, he doesn't pass my guard, he doesn't do anything."
Topuria revived his "sausage" nickname for the Englishman in the same interview: "I'll eat him up like the sausage he is. With that head of his, just throw a punch in his direction and you'll hit him."
Both men are coming off losses to the same man. Gaethje beat Pimblett by unanimous decision for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 on January 24 in Las Vegas. Five months later, Gaethje took the undisputed belt from Topuria at UFC Freedom 250 on June 14, on the South Lawn of the White House, when Topuria's corner stopped the fight at 5:00 of the fourth round. Topuria was 17-0. It was the first defeat of his career.
The damage from that night was severe. Topuria told his brother and chief cornerman, Aleksandre Topuria, that he could not see, and Aleksandre stopped the fight. Topuria left with fractures to both orbital bones, damage to his nose and a broken foot. He has said his brother may have saved his career. He is not yet cleared for contact training and expects to resume full training in January, with a return targeted for April, May or June 2027.
Topuria had won the vacant lightweight title by knocking out Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, completing his move up from featherweight. Gaethje, 28-5, has not fought since unifying the title and has said retirement is on the table.
The Pimblett fight has been building since July, when Pimblett choked Benoit Saint Denis unconscious with a D'Arce choke 52 seconds into their UFC 329 co-main event in Las Vegas. Pimblett has asked for Topuria ever since, and has suggested the two coach the next season of "The Ultimate Fighter."
The grudge itself is older than either man's current run. The two confronted each other at a fighter hotel before UFC London in 2022, over posts Topuria felt were anti-Georgian, and a bottle of hand sanitizer was thrown in the scuffle. They nearly came to blows again after Topuria won the lightweight title at UFC 317.
Topuria has spent the last week polling fans on who he should fight on his return — Gaethje or Pimblett — and then tagging UFC CEO Dana White in the results. Gaethje won the poll, 55 percent to 45 percent. But the rematch looks blocked: Gaethje's manager, Ali Abdelaziz, has said it will never happen, and Gaethje himself has said Topuria never defended the belt and should have to earn another shot, with Arman Tsarukyan the man who deserves the next one.
Topuria made his own preference clear in the ABC interview, and it was not subtle: "Justin is a nobody. Imagine, if I fight Paddy, Justin even as the champion would have to be the co-main event."
White has said Topuria is ready to fight, with no date set, and that both options sound good. Pimblett has said he has not been offered the fight. There are reports that a five-round non-title fight between the two could serve as a title eliminator next year, but the UFC has not confirmed anything.
For now, the fight exists only in Topuria's words. But he has made the pitch as plainly as he can: Pimblett is someone you can dominate — and he intends to prove it with a flying knee.
