The rising UFC Lightweight Competier Paddy Pimblett has explained what he would have done differently with Islam Makhachev after his recent Shock UFC Lightweight Title holiday.
UFC boss Dana White recently made the enormous announcement that lightweight has left his title champion Makhachev, so that he can strive for a switch to good weight.
The news came as a shock for the UFC fan base as just a few days earlier, Makhachev claimed that he would not leave his title and go for double champion status.
Although, after his title holiday, it was announced that the empty lightweight title fight would be disputed between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira on UFC 317.
Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC
Paddy Pimblett states the decision of Islam Makhachev to leave the lightweight title
Since Topuria has left its featherweight title in the pursuit of a lightweight title fight, Makhachev made it clear that he was not interested in combating 'El Matador'.
And although the lightweight division apparently stopped at the top with contenders who have fought several times before the title, there are new contenders through the ranks.
One is Paddy Pimblett, who has achieved the biggest victory of his career to date at UFC 314 and Michael Chandler dominated on his way to a third round of TKO.
After the shock title holiday of the Russian, he was criticized by 'The Baddy' who explained what he should have done differently.
“If I were Islam, I would have fought against Topuria,” Pimblett claimed in an interview with TNT Sports.
“I would have defeated Topuria and then I fought Jack della Maddalena such as four months later. Because Islam probably wants to attach the Abu Dhabi card (in October). If he smokes Topuria as he smoked (Renato) Moicano and some of the others in the first round, he would be good to go in the first round in October.
“If I was Islam, I would have done that (I am not surprised that he is not fighting Topuria during the International Fight Week) but I can see where he comes from … Many people think that Ilia beats Islam, but not me, so it would have been nice to see Islam to see him,” he continued.
Pimblett claims that Topuria ran from Alexander Volkanovski
'The Baddy' shares a similar thinking process and also accused Topuria of running a featherweight title Rematch against Alexander Volkanovski, and claimed that Volkanovski would have defeated him in a rematch.
Pimblett and Topuria have a constant feud, which date from a collision at the UFC Fighter Hotel in London in 2022. Since then they have continued to go back and forth online, possibly a huge title fight in the future.
“I don't think he defeated people if people had not been eliminated three months earlier, I think that is one of the reasons why he moved to lightweight, he didn't want that Rematch with people,” Pimblett said.
The Brit focuses on a number one competition against Justin Gaethje then, and if Topuria successfully claims the lightweight title on UFC 317, the two can finally meet in the Octagon.