Pimblett Says Topuria Can Thank Him For Fame

Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria owes him credit for his rapid ascent to stardom in the UFC.

The Liverpool lightweight told Joe Rogan on his podcast that the Georgian-Spanish fighter leveraged their rivalry to build name recognition early in his career. Pimblett and Topuria have feuded for years, dating back to a hotel confrontation that saw Pimblett throw a hand sanitizer bottle at his rival. At the time, Pimblett was already a hot commodity on the European circuit while Topuria had yet to break through to mainstream awareness.

Pimblett Claims Topuria Used His Name For Clout

Pimblett said he is convinced the beef jumpstarted Topuria's profile. "No one even knew who he was, and it just went from there," he told Rogan, according to BJ Penn. While Pimblett acknowledged that Topuria's skills earned him championship gold, he maintained the rise would not have been as quick without using Pimblett's name for attention.

Topuria went on to capture the featherweight title by stopping Alexander Volkanovski, then defended it against Max Holloway before moving up to lightweight and knocking out Charles Oliveira for a second belt. He suffered his first career loss in June when Justin Gaethje stopped him. Pimblett also lost to Gaethje but took pride in lasting the full fight.

The question of when the two rivals will finally meet inside the Octagon remains unanswered. Topuria is planning a return following his time off after the Gaethje bout, though it is unclear whether UFC matchmakers will book him against Pimblett immediately.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Paddy Pimblett says Ilia Topuria can thank him for his rise in popularity: “No one even knew who he was”