Paddy Pimblett is not impressed by newly-crowned UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria because he’s doing things that Conor McGregor has already done.
The rivalry between Pimblett and Topuria hit an all-time high last weekend after Topuria starched UFC legend Charles Oliviera at UFC 317 to claim the vacant UFC lightweight title. During his post-fight interview, Topuria called out Pimblett and the two shared a much-talked-about faceoff in the middle of the Octagon. It was a perfect way to introduce a potential grudge match between the two UFC stars.
As expected, Pimblett has been doing a lot of press this past week to talk about his rivalry with Topuria and what a matchup between the two might look like. While Pimblett respects Topuria’s game he believes he’s a cheap McGregor knock off at the end of the day. In fact, Pimblett thinks Topuria would have been knocked out cold by McGregor if the two had met in their primes.
“He’s trying to be Conor McGregor,” said Pimblett during a recent episode of “UFC Unfiltered,” which can be seen in the above video player. “He’s got the same tattoos. He even said the other day, ‘I’m gonna put my balls on your forehead,’ which is sort of what McGregor said to Chad Mendes. He’s just a carbon copy of McGregor. You see some people now saying he’s better than McGregor, but he’s not. In their prime at the same time, McGregor would have knocked him out with the straight left.”
It’s unknown if UFC matchmakers are completely convinced in booking a lightweight title fight between Topuria and Pimblett, but it seems like the biggest matchup to make at this time. Even if the two stars weren’t supposed to share a staredown at UFC 317 it’s the fight that everyone wants to see.
