"Islam, Conor, and Paddy. I'd love to do that - to be the first one [to KO Paddy]. If someone else did it, I can do it too. And if no one did it, I can always be the first to do it."
"Topuria (17-0) was the featherweight champion when he started rallying for a double champ bid against then-lightweight champ Islam Makhachev. However, that matchup never came to fruition as Makhachev moved up and won the welterweight title. Meanwhile, Topuria moved up and became the lightweight champion."
"The beef started with Pimblett's insensitive comments about Topuria's home country of Georgia. 'The Baddy' even threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria at a fighter hotel in London in 2022. After winning the lightweight title, Topuria clearly expressed his interest in defending it against Pimblett."
Ilia Topuria, the current lightweight champion, has publicly stated his top three preferred matchups: Islam Makhachev, Conor McGregor, and Paddy Pimblett. Topuria expressed desire to become the first fighter to knock out Pimblett. A potential matchup with Makhachev remains unlikely as Makhachev has moved up in weight and refuses to return to lightweight. McGregor, inactive since 2021, remains a significant draw despite his injury layoff. Topuria and Pimblett share a history marked by past incidents and controversial comments. Currently, Topuria is scheduled to face Justin Gaethje in a title unifier fight later this year after Gaethje defeated Pimblett for the interim lightweight title.
Read at Sherdog
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