Paddy Pimblett handed blow in pursuit of Ilia Topuria grudge match

Paddy Pimblett may have to wait a little longer to settle his feud with Ilia Topuria after it has emerged that the former UFC lightweight champion could rematch Justin Gaethje.

The Scouse scrapper had the chance to face Topuria in a unification showdown this year, but fell short back in January after losing to Gaethje for the interim 155lb gold strap. Gaethje would go on to shock the world back in June after becoming the first fighter to beat Topuria in the cage, forcing his rival to quit on his stool at the White House back in June.

Pimblett got back to winning ways back in July after submitting Benoit Saint Denis in under a minute. The win seemingly edged him closer to a crack at Topuria. Their bitter feud stems from a physical altercation at a London hotel back in 2022. And they have since traded verbal jabs at every opportunity.

Rumours began circulating that their clash could land on one of the UFC's last two pay-per-view events of the year, but UFC commentator Jon Anik has played down such reports. Instead, he believes that the promotion are likely to pursue a rematch between Gaethje and Topuria.

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“I think there are internal conversations to potentially try to do Gaethje vs Topuria 2," he said on his official YouTube channel. “A lot of people wonder aloud, ‘What is next for Ilia Topuria?’, and there is certainly an obvious foundation for a fight between him and Paddy Pimblett.”

He added: “But if you have Ilia Topuria, as a fight promoter, would you not want to maybe think about putting him back in a championship setting, given how big UFC Freedom 250 was? You have Arman Tsarukyan fighting Mauricio Ruffy [on 19 September], it’s undeniably a lightweight-title eliminator.

"For me, I think you do Paddy Pimblett vs Charles Oliveira; if you want to sweeten the pot and put the BMF [Baddest Motherf*****] belt on the line, so be it, but ultimately Oliveira vs Pimblett is as much an eliminator as Tsarukyan vs Ruffy. So, there’s a lot to sort of unpack at the top of the lightweight division right now, but as a fight fan, I think the biggest fight you can make – with respect to Max Holloway – is Paddy Pimblett vs Charles Oliveira.”

Despite reports of a potential fight between Topuria and Pimblett, the Liverpudlian himself claims the UFC has yet to approach him about facing his foe next. When asked by DAZN whether there's any truth to him fighting 'El Matador' next, the 'Baddy' replied: "Nothing yet. No one has spoken to me about it, so we'll see what happens. I'd love to smash his head in, but we need to wait and see."

He added: When I get told who I'm fighting, I'm sure everyone else will know. If I fight again this year, it will be in December. Hopefully, but we'll see what happens."

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