Pimblett calls Topuria 'a fat featherweight' after Gaethje TKO ends lightweight reign

Paddy Pimblett has declared Ilia Topuria a misfit at lightweight after Justin Gaethje battered the Georgian champion to a corner stoppage in the fourth round at UFC Freedom 250 last month, ending Topuria’s brief reign at 155 pounds.

Topuria (17-1) had moved up from featherweight — where he won and defended the title once — entering the Gaethje fight as a heavy favourite. Instead, Gaethje (28-5) controlled the bout, bloodying Topuria before his corner threw in the towel, handing the American the lightweight title.

Pimblett (23-4), who had been targeting a title shot against Topuria before Gaethje derailed those plans by defeating him to claim the interim belt, was blunt in his assessment of the former champion’s future at the weight class.

“I always say we have weight classes for a reason,” Pimblett told Spinnin Backfist. “Ilia Topuria is a fat featherweight. He’s not a lightweight. And if I ever fight him, people will realize that. If he fights me, he will move back down to 145 [pounds]. Because he will realize how small he is for [lightweight].”

Pimblett also framed Gaethje’s victory in almost mythological terms, suggesting the outcome carried a sense of inevitability given the setting and the American’s identity. “I’ve got no animosity towards Justin Gaethje. He beat me; better man won on the night. I think it was fate for him to beat me, so that he could beat Ilia on the White House lawn. Be the American in the main event to win a world title. It was destiny.”

The Liverpudlian now turns his attention to rebuilding his own title credentials. Pimblett faces Benoit St. Denis (17-3) at UFC 329 on 11 July at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. St. Denis arrives on a four-fight finishing streak, making the matchup a significant test for Pimblett as he looks to re-enter the lightweight title picture.