Paddy Pimblett wants to beat Ilia Topuria like "McGregor beat Aldo"

Paddy Pimblett is not throwing his feud with Ilia Topuria away. In fact, he wants to settle it in the cage itself.

Paddy Pimblett shares his plan for a future bout against Ilia Topuria

Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria have many years of verbal rivalry and have even been briefly linked to a showdown. But unfortunately, that bout never took place.  However, the British fighter isn’t letting this beef go without a fight, and he even has an elaborate plan for it. He believes this rivalry could fuel an explosive season of The Ultimate Fighter and intensify the tension even more.

Pimblett has put forward the idea of coaching for the next season of TUF opposite the Georgian-Spanish fighter. Once he has finished messing with Topuria’s head there, he’ll be taking him straight to the Octagon. He even said he wants to emulate McGregor’s iconic fight from 2015.

Speaking to KOLOS MMA, Pimblett said,

"I think me and Ilia would have a brilliant season of The Ultimate Fighter because I’d get under his skin so much that, when we commence the fight, I’d beat him just as McGregor beat Aldo.”

🚨Paddy Pimblett says he’d get under Ilia Topuria’s skin on TUF - then beat him like McGregor beat Aldo 😳

“I have no fight booked at the minute, but I’d love to fight Ilia Topuria. I’ll beat him that badly and send him down to featherweight. I think me and Ilia would have a… pic.twitter.com/xHlOu5T1BO

— FREAK.MMA (@FREAKMMA1) September 30, 2026

His reference is to Conor McGregor’s iconic victory over José Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015. McGregor secured the win through a first-round knockout just 13 seconds into the fight.

Of course, the Liverpool star didn’t just threaten El Matador with a McGregor-style finish. He stated that he is not currently booked for a fight but would love to fight his long-time rival Ilia Topuria.

“I’ll beat him that badly and send him down to featherweight”, He then added.

Ilia Topuria is back to training again

Ilia Topuria didn’t leave the Octagon against Justin Gaethje with just a loss. He was quickly rushed to the hospital due to his severe injuries during UFC Freedom 250. He reportedly suffered non-displaced fractures to the orbital bones in his face.

Earlier this month, he opened up about his medical test clearance on X.

“Final medical tests done. I'm back," He posted.

Yesterday, he took to Instagram to announce his return to training as well. He posted pictures of himself sharpening his striking game.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ilia Topuria (@iliatopuria)

In a separate video El Matador is seen working on his reflexes as well via a screen.  Both his demanded rematch with Gaethje and rumoured matchup with Pimblett are not yet confirmed. However, fans are quite eager to see his return to the cage after a full recovery.