Paddy Pimblett gives his four-word reaction to old UFC rival Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight

The bad blood between Pimblett and Topuria is heated, but fight talk has died down in the wake of Topuria’s rise to featherweight superstardom. Pimblett, who competed at featherweight early in his career, moved up to lightweight after a quick win over King Green at UFC 304.

Originally, it seemed like Topuria and Pimblett would probably never fight due to their weight difference. But after Topuria announced a permanent move up a weight class and a possible retirement from the featherweight belt, things started up again.

Paddy Pimblett seemed to welcome Ilia Topuria’s easy move

Just hours after Topuria announced a move to lightweight in a recent interview with a Spanish broadcaster, Pimblett appeared to reference Topuria’s comments in a recent Instagram post.

“Youth at 155?” Pimblett posted on Tuesday.

Pimblett does not have an opponent for his next Octagon appearance at this time. He is rumored to be linked with a clash with Benoit Saint-Denis, although nothing has been announced about the British star’s return.

Topuria wants to face former UFC lightweight champion Charles Oliveira in his scheduled lightweight debut next year. However, those plans could change if UFC leadership forces him to fight Alexander Volkanovski or another top featherweight before leaving the division.

Topuria defeated BMF titleholder and former UFC featherweight champion Max Holloway at UFC 308. He earned the belt by defeating Volkanovski at UFC 298 earlier this year and remains undefeated in his promotional career.

Ilia Topuria’s planned lightweight move reopens fight talks with Paddy Pimblett

UFC executives have not responded to Topuria’s lightweight push as they are in the midst of active negotiations between Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall over a heavyweight signing. But Dana White and the matchmakers have a history of not allowing champions to change weight classes after defending their titles.

If Topuria moves up, a clash with UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev could potentially be on the horizon. Topuria and Makhachev have been trading barbs online for months, and Makhachev faces Arman Tsarukyan at UFC 311 in January.

Topuria’s potential inclusion in the lightweight division is a major talking point ahead of UFC 311. In the event the UFC grants him permission to vacate the featherweight title and move up to lightweight, he could potentially face the winner of Makhachev vs. Tsarukyan.

Pimblett remains undefeated in his UFC tenure and recently announced how he beat Topuria in the Octagon. Shortly after submitting Green, Pimblett claimed he would beat Topuria in a similar fashion if the two teams were cautioned to fight.

As Pimblett approaches the lightweight top 10, a new rival could potentially be in his crosshairs as Topuria enters the division. The bad blood between Pimblett and Topuria could potentially be settled in the Octagon in 2025.

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