Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria may have to vacate his UFC lightweight championship next year if he doesn’t return in time.
Topuria announced his break from fighting for personal reasons. In his absence, the promotion has announced an interim lightweight championship, which will headline UFC 324. Justin Gaethje and Pimblett will fight for the interim title, with the winner expected to meet Topuria in a unification bout when the latter returns. The Georgian-Spaniard is expected to return after the first quarter of 2026. However, if he fails to do so, ‘The Baddy’ thinks ‘El Matador’ may have to leave. In an interview with Carlos Contreras Legaspi, the Briton said:
“If he doesn’t come back in June or July, he may have to give up his title and I will become the undisputed champion without even fighting.”
Watch Paddy Pimblett’s comments below:
PFL champion takes on Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria
In a recent interview with MMA Junkie’s Mike Bohn, Usman Nurmagomedov spoke about the UFC’s recent wave of matchmaking. Nurmagomedov says matchmaking should be purely based on skills and not on monetization. He also highlighted how Arman Tsarukyan, despite being the #1 UFC lightweight prospect, was not given a title shot.
The Russian fighter also delved into Paddy Pimblett’s UFC resume and Ilia Topuria’s break. He said:
“I don’t know. Now in the UFC we have some interesting situations with Arman Tsarukyan. He is the number one contender, and someone has a fight with his wife… They create an interim title, and for the interim title they fight the guy from England, whose last three opponents without a win streak… I understand that this is good for the media, but when I think about the UFC, the place for the best fighters in the world fighting each other, not who is the most popular… In my opinion, in UFC on right now the number one in the lightweight division is Arman Tsarukyan.”
Watch Usman Nurmagomedov’s comments below:
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