Pimblett open to Topuria showdown but says UFC has not offered him the fight

Paddy Pimblett has dismissed rumours of a December showdown with Ilia Topuria as premature, telling interviewer Eze Obasi that the UFC has yet to contact him about the fight despite growing speculation the two rivals could meet before the end of the year.

The report of a potential matchup originated with Tim Welch, the coach of Sean O’Malley, who claimed to have heard whispers that a Pimblett (24-4) vs Topuria (17-1) bout was being assembled for December. Pimblett did not dismiss the idea outright — he said he would “love to smash [Ilia’s] head in” — but was clear that no formal offer has landed.

“No one spoke to me about it,” Pimblett said. “[I could fight] Arman, Gaethje, Ruffy, Charles. There’s loads of names. If I fight this year, it’ll be December, hopefully.”

Beyond Topuria, Pimblett named four other top-ranked lightweights he would be willing to face: Arman Tsarukyan, Mauricio Ruffy, Charles Oliveira, and reigning UFC lightweight champion Justin Gaethje.

The prospect of a Pimblett-Topuria fight carries weight beyond rankings. The pair have a well-documented rivalry that dates back to Pimblett making public comments about Georgia, Topuria’s home country. The feud escalated in 2022 when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria at a fighter hotel in London — an incident that earned Topuria the nickname “sanitizer boy” from the Liverpudlian. The two have continued to trade barbs at press conferences and, more recently, have mocked each other over their respective title-fight losses to Gaethje.

For now, Pimblett’s December plans remain open, with the UFC yet to confirm any opponent.