Paddy Pimblett believes Ilia Topuria didn’t have to struggle en route to his first UFC title.
Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) criticized Topuria’s road to the UFC featherweight title and even put an asterisk on his knockout win over Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 298. After finishing Volkanovski to become 145-pound champion, Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) defended his belt with a knockout of Max Holloway before knocking out Charles Oliveira to claim the vacant lightweight title at UFC 317.
“I think Ilia had the easiest road to the belt,” Pimblett said in an interview with Eldoberdan MMA. “He had to beat Josh Emmett to get a title shot. Who did he beat? Ryan Hall, Josh Emmett, Bryce Mitchell. That was one of the easiest routes I’ve ever seen to a title shot. Michael Chandler would have beat Josh Emmett, Bryce – and I really like Bryce.
“I really like Josh Emmett. They’re really good fighters, but Michael Chandler would beat all of the people he fought before he fought Volk. And he wouldn’t have beat Volk if Volk wasn’t knocked out like eight weeks earlier, 12 weeks earlier. Everything’s happened at the right time for Topuria apart from when he fights me.”
Immediately after he knocked out Oliveira, Topuria faced off with Pimblett in the octagon. Pimblett hasn’t competed since finishing Michael Chandler at UFC 314 in April but could find himself as Topuria’s next title challenger.
“If I wasn’t injured for the year, and I had the easy route to the belt like him, I would have been champ by now,” Pimblett said. “I got injured for a year, had to have surgery, my wife had twins, I had to take six months off for that. If I didn’t have to have these little times off, these intervals, and I had the easy route to the belt like he did, I would have been champion by now.”
