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Paddy Pimblett reignites feud with Ilia Topuria ahead of potential UFC bout

Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria in hotel bust-up before UFC London

Paddy Pimblett has reignited his feud with UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, making fresh comments about Topuria's heritage amidst rumours of a potential fight.
The rivalry originated in 2022 after Pimblett made controversial tweets about Georgia, Topuria's ancestral home, leading to a physical confrontation between their teams.
Pimblett claimed Topuria's fame and championship status are due to him, labelling Topuria as “fake” and a “Conor McGregor copycat”, and asserting he is German, not Spanish or Georgian.
Pimblett challenged Topuria to a fight at Real Madrid's Bernabeu stadium, home of the team Topuria supports, despite Pimblett initially calling it a “s***hole”.
Both fighters have recently been active, with Pimblett defeating Michael Chandler in April and Topuria becoming a two-weight champion by knocking out Charles Oliveira in June, with an announcement for Topuria's next opponent expected soon.