Rising UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett has commented on how he would have handled the situation differently compared to Islam Makhachev following the unexpected announcement that Makhachev relinquished his UFC lightweight championship.
UFC President Dana White recently made the significant reveal that lightweight champion Islam Makhachev has vacated his title with the aim of moving up to the welterweight division.
This news came as a surprise to many in the UFC fanbase, especially considering that just days before, Makhachev had publicly stated he would not be giving up his title and was instead pursuing status as a double champion.
Despite his earlier comments, following his decision to vacate the belt, it was announced that the vacant lightweight title would be contested between Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira at UFC 317.
Paddy Pimblett Questions Makhachev`s Title Decision
Ever since Ilia Topuria moved up from featherweight and vacated his title to challenge for the lightweight belt, Makhachev had consistently indicated he was not interested in fighting `El Matador`.
While the top of the lightweight division currently appears congested with contenders who have already fought for the title on multiple occasions, several new contenders are beginning to rise through the ranks.
One such fighter is Paddy Pimblett, who secured the biggest win of his career to date this past April at UFC 314, achieving a dominant third-round TKO victory over Michael Chandler.
Following the Russian champion`s unexpected title vacation, `The Baddy` has voiced his criticism and offered his perspective on what Makhachev should have done instead.
“If I were Islam, I would have fought Topuria,” Pimblett stated in an interview with TNT Sports.
He elaborated, “I would have defeated Topuria and then faced Jack Della Maddalena about four months later. Islam likely wants to headline the Abu Dhabi event in October. If he finishes Topuria quickly, similar to how he handled (Renato) Moicano and others in the first round, he`d be ready for October.”
Pimblett added, “That`s what I would have done if I were Islam. While I’m surprised he didn’t fight Topuria at International Fight Week, I understand his perspective… Many believe Ilia can beat Islam, but I disagree, so it would have been satisfying to see Islam put on a dominant performance against him.”
Pimblett Accuses Topuria of Avoiding Volkanovski Rematch
Continuing this line of thought, ‘The Baddy’ also suggested that Topuria avoided a featherweight title rematch with Alexander Volkanovski, asserting that Volkanovski would have won a second fight.
Pimblett and Topuria have a long-standing rivalry that dates back to a confrontation at a UFC fighter hotel in London in 2022. Their online exchanges have continued since then, potentially building towards a significant future title bout.
Pimblett commented, “I don’t believe he would defeat Volk if Volk hadn’t been knocked out three months prior. I suspect that’s partly why he moved to lightweight; he wanted to avoid that rematch with Volk.”
The British fighter is ambitiously aiming for a number one contender fight against Justin Gaethje next. If Topuria succeeds in winning the lightweight title at UFC 317, a potential clash between the two in the Octagon could finally happen.
