Ilia Topuria "doesn't give a f***" about Paddy Pimblett but predicts the UFC rivals will eventually fight in the future.
Tempers boiled over between Topuria and Pimblett before their respective fights at UFC London in March, as punches were thrown and the pair were dragged apart in a hotel lobby. Their rivalry came about when Topuria was angered by comments Pimblett made about his home country, as the Scouser had joked about Russians "terrorising Georgians' lives".
Pimblett nicknamed Topuria " hand sanitiser boy " after throwing a bottle off his head during their scuffle and their feud has continued to build, with fans calling for a fight between the pair. Topuria, who fights Bryce Mitchell at UFC 282 on Saturday, has welcomed a fight with Pimblett, who is also in action against Jared Gordon on the same bill as his rival.
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"They have never offered me the fight, but I know that it’s going to happen in the future," Topuria told Mirror Fighting . "Right now, I don’t give a f*** about him. I’m focused on myself and my next fight. If I’m going to have to fight Paddy next, more than welcome. I don’t think much about him, so I don’t know if the UFC is protecting him or not."
Topuria also claimed that Pimblett was taken in the opposite direction when the rivals came close to a direct meeting at the promotion's Performance Institute earlier this week.
"When I arrived at the PI [Performance Institute] this morning, I had to wait until they got Paddy out the backdoor," he wrote. "I am no bully, you don’t have to avoid me. You already apologised. I still don’t like you. As long as you behave yourself when you see me, I won’t give a f*** about you."
Pimblett is unranked in the lightweight rankings whilst Topuria is hoping a win against Mitchell can push him into the top ten at 145lb. 'El Matador' labelled Pimblett a "blonde b****" in his post-fight interview after knocking out Jai Herbert in London, a call out that was heavily booed by the English crowd.
