The UFC 317 main event established Ilia Topuria as the new Lightweight king, as he demolished Charles Oliveira inside the first round. Showcasing his elite boxing skills alongside impressive grappling defence, the Spaniard claimed his second title at the iconic T-Mobile Arena.
In the post-fight interview, Topuria referred to Arman Tsarukyan, saying, “When it comes [time] to deliver, his back hurts,” just for Joe Rogan to tell him he was talking about Paddy Pimblett.
A shameless marketing stunt by the UFC — who wanted the more popular guy in Pimblett to have a big moment with the champion — or a genuine mistake on Rogan’s part, doesn’t matter. The Englishman got into the cage and had a heated exchange with “El Matador,” which ended in a push that sparked the whole arena.
In his post-fight press conference, Topuria claimed that the fight against Pimblett is his priority, partly because he is “really gonna enjoy kicking his ass.” That, of course, stems from their personal history with each other, some of the noteworthy moments of which include their heated hotel run-in before UFC London; the UFC 282 press conference, where the foes even got out of their seats at one point; and the already-mentioned UFC 317 post-fight face-off.
Besides, the number of eyeballs that are going to be on Topuria vs Pimblett is unlike any othe potential fight for either one. There is no point in arguing: Pimblett puts more bums in the seats than Tsarukyan or even Justin Gaethje at this point of his career. The all-european affair is ideal for Madrid’s Bernabéu Stadium, or at-least a suiting Brittish venue.
The clash of Spanish and English fan-bases, each ready to die for their countryman, is going to be chaotic, yet entertaining show. This matchup might achieve the unthinkable: an MMA fight with the emotional stakes and the crowd inestment of a football game. The main priority in this case would be the safety of those at the venue, as there are plenty of tragic instances in football history.
The UFC has been treating “The Baddy” like a superstar since his arrival in the promotion. Not many people viewed him as “championship material” after his controversial showing against Jared Gordon, or even his decision victory over the aged Tony Ferguson.
Since then, Piblett has finished two top-15 fighters in King Green and Michael Chandler. The Chandler win, in particular, showed everyone the improvements the Scouser had made in his time out of the cage. He is a brand-new fighter now.
Even with that, though, any matchup after that is a huge threat, as Piblett is now competing against the cream-of-the-crop Lightweights. So, why risk the hype-killer loss against Tsarukyan if the biggest fight could be made right now?
Tsarukyan, who was the back-up fighter for the UFC 317 main event and is on a far-more impressive winning streak than Pimblett, is going to have to wait. Surely, he wouldn’t just keep silent during the fight week for Topuria vs Pimblett, likely throwing shades at the matchmaking.
The thing is, although he is coming off a win over an all-timer in Oliveira, Tsarukyan seems to have a difficult time falling back into the good graces of the organization. That seems to be the result of his UFC 311 pullout against Islam Makhachev. Whatever the relationship between him and the UFC is, Tsarukyan is by far the most deserving contender in the Lightweight rankings.
This question is the biggest roadblock to Topuria vs Pimblett. “El Matador” is going to be a huge favorite, as the Englishman’s skillset simply hasn’t proven to be enough to beat him. As already said, Pimblett just recently started to get his flowers as a legit contender in the division, while Topuria has been on the legends-slaughtering path for over a year now.
The build-up is going to be fun, sure, but what comes after…
That said, it would be silly to fully write the Scouser off, since he is big for the division and possesses a dangerous ground game. But it isn’t anything the Spaniard hadn’t seen before.
Whatever the pros and cons of this fight are, the UFC seems to have already decided it’s going to be next. What’s left for the fans is to spectate the show, which Topuria vs Pimblett is undoubtedly going to be. The rivalry between the two is something the sport is going to only benefit from.
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