Ilia Topuria is on top of the UFC world. The 28-year-old lightweight champion, with a perfect 17-0 record, knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round to win the 155-pound title at UFC 317 on June 28, 2025, in Las Vegas. Moments later, Joe Rogan called Paddy Pimblett, watching cageside, into the octagon, sparking a tense face-off where Topuria shoved him. In an interview with TMZ Sports, Topuria called a fight with Pimblett a walk in the park, predicting a quick finish to settle their heated rivalry.
Topuria’s Confident Callout
Topuria didn’t hold back.
“With Paddy, all the fans around the world, they want to see that fight,” he told TMZ Sports. “At the same time, I have to be honest, I think it’s one of the easiest fights that I could have in the lightweight division.”
He added, “I can do with him whatever I want to do in reality. It’s a very exciting fight for the fans. I’m going to enjoy a lot, the whole process.” Topuria promised a brutal end, saying, “I promise you, I could like choose the way I want to finish (Pimblett). He’s not going to stay there for more than one round with me. Maybe it’s going to be cool to submit him in the ground with a triangle choke from the mount.”
He also jabbed at Pimblett’s last fight, a win over Michael Chandler at UFC 314, noting:
“I just saw the average level of competition in that fight.”
Born in Germany to Georgian parents and raised in Spain, Topuria joined the UFC in 2020. He dominated featherweight, beating Bryce Mitchell in 2022, Josh Emmett in 2023, and Alexander Volkanovski, whom he knocked out to win the 145-pound title at UFC 298 in February 2024. He vacated that belt in April 2025 due to tough weight cuts, then moved to lightweight, knocking out Max Holloway at UFC 308 in October 2024 and Oliveira at UFC 317, becoming Spain’s first two-division champ.
The bad blood with Pimblett started in 2021 when Pimblett made comments about the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, offending Topuria, whose family fled Georgia as refugees. In March 2022, they nearly fought at a London hotel before UFC London, with Pimblett throwing a hand sanitizer bottle. Tensions flared again at the UFC 282 press conference. Pimblett, ranked No. 8 at lightweight with a 23-3 record and 7-0 in the UFC, has finishes over Bobby Green, Tony Ferguson, and Chandler, but Topuria believes he’s no match.
The UFC hasn’t set Topuria’s next fight, but Pimblett’s the fan favorite after their UFC 317 face-off, which Dana White called a mistake. Topuria wants the fight at Santiago Bernabeu in 2026, hyping it as a massive Spain vs. England showdown. No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, the backup fighter at UFC 317, is also pushing for a title shot, criticizing Rogan’s stunt as fake drama. Topuria’s favored heavily against Pimblett, but Tsarukyan’s wrestling could be trickier. The UFC might book the fight for December 2025. With 11 UFC fights, Topuria’s poised to keep dominating, and a win over Pimblett could solidify his star power.
