“Last fight was embarrassing,” Ilia Topuria RIPS ‘beginner’ rival Paddy Pimblett for Tony Ferguson fight

Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett‘s intense rivalry has received the latest update. Topuria has refused to throwdown against Pimblett after his “embarrassing” performance at UFC 296. Here is what happened:

Ilia Topuria recently did an interview with Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour. There he criticised his fellow contender saying that Pimblett looked like a beginner when fighting Tony Ferguson. Ilia Topuria said:

He's not even ranked, did you watch his last fight? It was embarrassing. His last fight was embarrassing. The level he showed in that fight, that's embarrassing, he looked like a beginner.

Ilia Topuria via The MMA Hour

Ilia Topuria also criticised Paddy Pimblett saying that he is not even a ranked UFC fighter. Meanwhile, Topuria ranks #3 in the UFC featherweight rankings. Their rivalry began around two years ago when Pimblett began targeting Georgian fighters online. Topuria was upset when Pimblett made fun of the Russo-Georgian War, which killed many Georgians, including Topuria’s family members. Their first clash happened in March 2022 in the lead-up to UFC London. Topuria threw punches at Pimblett, and Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria’s head.

Paddy Pimblett faced Tony Ferguson in a highly anticipated showdown at UFC 296 in Las Vegas. Pimblett dominated Ferguson throughout the fight, showing an incredible ground game. The fight went the distance. Despite Ferguson’s efforts, Pimblett secured the win with a unanimous decision victory.

Fans react to Ilia Topuria calling Paddy Pimblett’s last fight embarrassing

Ilia Topuria’s latest interview, where he mocked Paddy Pimblett caught the attention of fans on social media. They went to the comment section to share their reaction to the clip. Here are some of the reactions from X:

Any form of rivalry between two contenders in the UFC excites fans. An impending matchup between Topuria and Pimblett was always in question. However, Ilia Topuria’s latest comments have added an interesting take to the rivalry. While some supported Topuria, others criticized his statements saying that he would be begging for a matchup with Paddy Pimblett later.

Topuria is currently undefeated in the UFC. However, one fan pointed out that he did finish his last fight against Josh Emmett in a similar fashion. It will be interesting to see where this rivalry leads in the UFC.

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