Paddy Pimblett insists Ilia Topuria does not belong at lightweight.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) lost his 155-pound title to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June when was battered en route to a fourth-round TKO via doctor’s stoppage.
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Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) revelled in former UFC dual-champ Topuria’s first defeat, and thinks he doesn’t have the size to compete at 155 pounds. Topuria was on a dominant featherweight run before opting to vacate his belt and move up to lightweight.
“I always say it, we have weight classes for a reason,” Pimblett told Barstool’s Spinnin Backfist. “Ilia Topuria is a fat featherweight. He’s not a lightweight lad, and if I ever fight him, people will realize that. If he fights me, he will move back down to ’45 because he will realize how small he is for the weight.”
Gaethje (28-5 MMA, 11-5 UFC) defeated Pimblett to capture the interim belt at UFC 327 in January, then dethroned Topuria less than six months later to become undisputed champ. Pimblett, who meets Benoit Saint Denis (17-3 MMA, 9-3 UFC) in the UFC 329 co-headliner on July 11 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas (Paramount+), sees new life for himself in the title picture.
“It did motivate me,” Pimblett said. “As soon as I seen him win, because I was thinking Justin Gaethje just beat me, am I ever going to get anywhere near the title now? Like, was that my chance? And then he goes out there – I actually said I thought Justin was going to win and everyone laughed at us. But I don’t know why he was just saying that because he beat me up, and I know I’d beat Ilia Topuria. Justin beat me so, I was like Justin is going to win.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC 329’s Paddy Pimblett: I’d send Ilia Topuria back to featherweight
