Paddy Pimblett has welcomed a fight with UFC champion and longtime rival Ilia Topuria at the Bernabeu, despite labelling Real Madrid’s stadium a “s***hole”.
Topuria, who holds the UFC lightweight title and is a fan of Real Madrid, has long sought a fight at the Bernabeu in Spain’s capital, though it has eluded him so far.
But with the Spanish-Georgian, 28, having won the lightweight belt after giving up the featherweight strap, his star has risen higher than ever – potentially increasing the likelihood that he competes in the 84,000-capacity venue one day.
And Liverpool’s Pimblett, who has held a grudge with Topuria since 2021, would welcome a bout against “El Matador” in “enemy territory”.
“I want to fight Ilia, whenever, wherever,” Pimblett told eldoberdanMMA on Wednesday (24 September). “I’d love to come to Bernabeu and punch your face in.
“Do it in Spain in front of your fake countrymen, because you’re really German,” continued Pimblett, referencing Topuria’s country of birth. “I’d love to come and punch your face in, in front of 90,000 people in the Bernabeu, in enemy territory for me –because the Bernabeu is a s***hole.”
Pimblett, 30, is a fan of Liverpool FC, who have lost two Champions League finals to Real Madrid in the last eight years.
“Paddy The Baddy”’s grudge with Topuria started before UFC London in 2021, when the pair clashed at the fighter hotel due to tweets posted by Pimblett. The Scouser had hit out at Georgia, leading Topuria to confront him, with Pimblett ultimately throwing a bottle of hand sanitiser at Topuria.
Now, Pimblett is ranked seventh at lightweight, and Topuria’s first defence of the division’s title is up in the air. The champion has been linked to Arman Tsarukyan and Justin Gaethje, as well as Pimblett.
“I can see so many ways that I finish him,” Pimblett said. “Everyone thinks that on the feet it would be a one-sided fight [in Topuria’s favour]. I can see myself knocking him out. Kicks and knees and elbows.
“I’m not going to do what Charles [Oliveira] did and come out and have a boxing match with him, because I know he’s a very good boxer. I respect his hands, I respect him as a fighter, he’s very good. But once I get on top of him, he wouldn’t get back up, he wouldn’t be able to. I’d elbow him that many times that he looks like the Elephant Man.”
Pimblett was referencing Topuria’s fight with former lightweight champion Oliveira in June, when El Matador scored a first-round knockout to win the vacant belt.
“That’s the thing when I fight him: he’s never fought with emotion before,” Pimblett added. “He goes into every fight calm and calculated. With me, I’m already in his head. He’s not going to fight me like he fights everyone else. He’s going to try and take my head off, and he’s going to get his head took off in the process.”
Pimblett last fought in April, when he earned a third-round stoppage of former title challenger Michael Chandler, who was a three-time lightweight champion in Bellator before joining the UFC in 2020.
Pimblett is unbeaten in the UFC since his promotional debut in 2021, while Topuria is unbeaten as a professional overall.
