Paddy Pimblett Verbally Assaults Ilia Topuria: “He’s just a Conor McGregor copycat and I’m getting sick of him”
Here’s your daily reminder that Paddy Pimblett does not like Ilia Topuria.
More than three years after their viral altercation at a London hotel, Pimblett and Topuria continue to engage in heated exchanges via interviews and social media.
During a recent interview with Marca, the Liverpudlian once again verbally assaulted Topuria, calling the reigning lightweight world champion “fake” and suggesting that he’s nothing more than a carbon copy of outspoken MMA icon Conor McGregor.
“He just jumped on the coattails to get more fans and more followers,” Pimblett said. “He’s fake. He’s so fake, like half his followers. It’s been proven, half his followers on Instagram are bought. He’s the fakest person ever. He’s just a [Conor] McGregor copycat and I’m getting sick of him.”
Pimblett lit the fuse back in 2021 via a social media post directed at then-UFC fighter and Georgia native Guram Kutateladze.
“Lad how stupid are these Georgians man [LAUGHS],” Pimblett tweeted. “No wonder the Russians terrorise their lives [LAUGHS].”
Pimblett’s post referenced the 2008 Russian invasion of Georgia, in which over 200 Georgian civilians lost their lives. Topuria, who is of Georgian descent, knew several people who passed away in the war. Understandably, Topuria took exception to Pimblett’s comment, sparking one of the UFC’s most fierce and personal rivalries.
Paddy Pimblett accuses Topuria of ducking him
With Topuria now occupying the lightweight throne, it would seem that both ‘El Matador’ and ‘The Baddy’ are on a collision course. But as Pimblett puts it, Topuria is ducking their inevitable clash inside the Octagon.
“At the minute, I’m struggling to get a fight,” Pimblett said. “People talk behind the scenes saying, ‘I want to fight him. I want to fight him.’ But when they get offered the fight, they don’t take it. I’m just sitting in limbo, waiting for a fight. I thought I was going to fight Justin Gaethje in Abu Dhabi in October, but he’s sitting out. Dan Hooker is fighting Arman Tsarukyan. Charles just fought Gamrot. There’s no one really for me to fight apart from Ilia Topuria.
“Hopefully that fight gets sorted. I think it would’ve been sorted by now if he would’ve signed the contract, but he’s stalling. He’s another one that talks a big game on the camera, but when it comes to signing the contract, he won’t write his name on it.”
