Ilia Topuria clashed with Paddy Pimblett in heated scenes after the former’s devastating victory over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
‘El Matador’ produced a brutal first-round knockout of the Brazilian in the much-hyped main event in Las Vegas on Saturday night to successfully claim the UFC lightweight title vacated last month by Islam Makhachev, extending his formidable undefeated streak as the former featherweight king became only the 10th fighter in the promotion’s history to win belts in two different weight classes.
Topuria now appears to be heading for another potentially explosive showdown with arch-rival Pimblett, with whom he has traded plenty of public barbs in the past either side of a surprisingly amicable exchange at the UFC London weigh-ins back in March.
But the animosity was turned back up to the max after Topuria’s statement win over Oliveira at T-Mobile Arena, where Liverpool favourite ‘The Baddy’ was watching in the crowd before being invited into the octagon after some goading words on the microphone from the newly-crowned 155-pound champion.
“Let’s fight. If you’re ready, I’m here,” Topuria had said.
As the duo squared up in front of Joe Rogan, Pimblett said: “That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that. Respect.
“But you will never knock me out. You cannot knock me out. You know you can’t knock me out. You know I don’t get knocked out.
“I finish you. I finish you little man.”
An animated Topuria then proceeded to shove Pimblett in the chest before security quickly intervened to separate the pair.
Pimblett later said: “Ilia has just said in the cage there [that] he’s going to submit me. He won’t do that.
“He said it because he knows he can’t knock me out. I will put that little b***h in his place. Get it booked.”
Pimblett has put himself in the title picture at lightweight after his own statement victory at UFC 314 in Miami in April, when he dominated and stopped Michael Chandler in the third round of a career-best performance in the co-main event to improve to 23-3 and stay unbeaten at 7-0 in the UFC.
