Ilia Topuria doesn’t see Paddy Pimblett lasting with him.
Topuria (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) agrees that Pimblett is a logical matchup for his return after losing his lightweight title to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June. Pimblett (24-4 MMA, 8-1 UFC) suggested they coach the next season of “The Ultimate Fighter,” and Topuria is open to it.
Advertisement
The pair have been trading barbs for years, and a matchup could be close after Pimblett slept Benoit Saint Denis in 52 seconds at UFC 329. Despite coming off his first-career loss, Topuria’s confidence hasn’t wavered.
“Paddy, Paddy, Paddy. I’ll eat him up like the sausage he is,” Topuria told ABC MMA (h/t Championship Rounds). “Like I’m telling you, there’s no easy opponents at this level. Paddy isn’t someone to overlook. He’s someone you have to take seriously, but with that head of his, just throw a punch in his direction and you’ll hit him.”
Topuria said Pimblett doesn’t have the grit and durability of Gaethje after “The Highlight” survived a knockdown to beat Topuria.
“If you listen to him, he beats me at everything, but I’ll beat him at whatever he wants,” Topuria said of Pimblett. “After a loss, it’s hard to talk about these things because it’s like, ‘Well, you just lost.’ And, yes, you’re right. But against Paddy on the ground, in a grappling match, he wouldn’t score a single point on me. Not even one seriously. What does he do to me? Take me down? He’s not taking me down. Pass my guard? You’re not passing my guard. Sweep me? How are you going to sweep me? I don’t see anything he does better than me on the ground, absolutely nothing.
Advertisement
He’s someone you can dominate. You can dominate him comfortably. He has a sausage body and thinks being big will give him an advantage. What are you going to do? Fight me on the feet? 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. Paddy has absolutely nothing. 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.”
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ilia Topuria: Paddy Pimblett is ‘someone you can dominate,’ unlike Justin Gaethje
