Ilia Topuria on Paddy Pimblett: ‘I’ll Eat Him Like a Sausage’
· Yahoo Sports
Former UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria talked some trash to rival Paddy Pimblett, saying, “I’ll eat him like a sausage.”
Topuria hasn’t fought since a shocking TKO loss to Justin Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250 in June, but he is set to return to the Octagon in early 2027, and he says he wants to fight Pimblett in his return fight.
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Ilia Topuria Wants Paddy Pimblett
Speaking to ABC Diario in a new interview, Topuria made it clear that he wants to fight Pimblett next.
“Paddy, Paddy, Paddy. I’ll eat him like a sausage, which he is,” Topuria said (via MMAFighting.com).
According to Topuria, his targeted return date is April, and he says that he’ll be better than ever when he steps back into the Octagon.
“Like you have never seen him before. From April onward is when we are considering returning. I have always been aware that in this life, not everything is a bed of roses, even though I’ve never had it before,” Topuria said.
🚨🇬🇪 Ilia Topuria: “I've faced the worst day of my job. What's worse? Dying?”
🗣 “I've achieved everything, and after this fight, what else? Maybe I'll even retire.”
🗣 “I'm coming back in April. Paddy, Paddy, Paddy.” pic.twitter.com/pkknTywlEi
— FightLuck (@FightluckBet) November 5, 2026
Ilia Topuria Still a Top Lightweight Contender
Although the loss to Gaethje was both shocking and disappointing at the time, Topuria is still a top lightweight contender and shouldn’t be written off from potentially getting his belt back, especially if Gaethje decides to retire and give up the UFC lightweight title.
If Topuria can come back and beat Pimblett in his comeback fight, it would put him in a great position to challenge for the UFC lightweight title by the end of 2027 and try to get back what he lost.
Although the loss to Gaethje was a big surprise at the time, Topuria is still an incredible fighter, and it would be silly to count him out from bouncing back in his MMA career and becoming a champion once again.
Given everything that he’s accomplished thus far in his UFC career, Topuria is the one guy who you should never write off. So whenever he does make his long-awaited return to the Octagon, it’s going to be a big deal, and fight fans are going to be extremely excited to see what’s next for him.
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