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Important SN update for SouthlandThe FULL timeline of Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett’s rivarly
Connor Scanlon • July 2nd, 2025 4:22 pm
New Lightweight Champion Ilia Topuria and fan favourite Paddy Pimblett share a deep-rooted hatred towards each other, but prior to Topuria’s move to the lightweight division, the pair never had the opportunity to face off.
Now, with Topuria claiming the lightweight title via a brutal first-round knockout of Brazilian Charles Oliveira, the rivalry has reached its peak.
In Topuria’s post-fight octagon interview, the Georgian directly called out Pimblett, and a highly anticipated clash between the two appears to be on the horizon.
It’s shaping up to be one of the most intense rivalries in modern UFC history, but not many people know the full story as to why these two hate each other.
See the full chronological timeline of their rivalry below:
Early 2021
It all began on X, but the feud initially didn’t even involve Ilia Topuria.
Another Georgian fighter, Guram Kutateladze, had called out Pimblett for a UFC bout, urging him to sign a contract.
Paddy Pimblett didn’t hold back in his response to Kutateladze's callout, insulting his Georgian nationality.
“What r u talking about sign the contract?” Pimblett tweeted.
“Just cause that ugly little c--- has been tweeted about me means nothin!
“U Georgians are so dumb.”
This is where Topuria stepped in. After seeing Pimblett insult his beloved Georgian heritage, Topuria went off at Pimblett.
“Calling others ugly when you are so ugly that I can’t even open your photo,” tweeted Topuria.
“You seem to have a body ready to donate to science!”
Pimblett took those comments to heart and responded to Topuria’s tweet, further insulting his nationality.
“A Georgian calling someone a bum, funny sh-t man!”
“Tell one of them to f---- say something when they see me, but they won’t!
“Say s--- behind ur phone screens, cause yous are b-----.”
The pair continued exchanging heated tweets until Pimblett crossed a line with a final tweet.
“Lad how stupid are these Georgians, man.”
“No wonder the Russians terrorize their lives.”
Georgia and Russia share a long and painful history of conflict. Georgia was forced into the USSR in 1921, and after gaining independence following the Soviet Union’s collapse, the country was subjected to further Russian aggression. Russia has since conducted ethnic cleansing campaigns in parts of Georgia and, in 2008, invaded and claimed a significant portion of Georgian territory.
Pimblett eventually deleted the tweets and issued an apology, but the damage was done. His remarks officially ignited a heated rivalry between the two fighters.
UFC London (March 2022)
After a year straight of Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria trading verbal shots in interviews, the pair were finally in each other’s presence for the first time, as they were scheduled to fight on the same card at UFC London.
With a year’s worth of hatred built between them, tensions were bound to erupt - and erupt they did.
While Pimblett was alone in the kitchen at the fighter hotel, Topuria and his team approached him to confront him. Sensing danger, Pimblett grabbed the closest item, which was a hand sanitiser bottle, and threw it at Topuria’s head.
Topuria immediately retaliated, throwing a punch and knocking Pimblett’s food off the table.
He then attempted to charge at Pimblett before being restrained by his team.
After the incident, Pimblett was questioned by the UFC press, where he took the opportunity to mock Topuria for being struck by the hand sanitiser bottle.
“Hand sanitiser boy? That’s his name from now on,” Pimblett told the UFC London press conference.
“His name’s ‘Hand Sanitiser’ because it got bounced off his head.
“He wanted to come at me and try to act bad and got put in his place.
“I was stood there on my own and there were about six of them, and he done nothing.
“If he wanted to do something he would have come around the table and had a fight with me but he didn’t.
“He stood on the other side of the table because he knows what’s good for him.”
Following Pimblett’s public mockery, Topuria officially called him out for the first time, before either fighter had even stepped into the octagon at UFC London.
“I need just one punch and I can put my balls on his forehead,” Topuria told Ariel Helwani.
“So, if he gets the win (at UFC London), I really want to fight with him. Even if he doesn’t get the win, I want to fight him.
“Because of my people, because of me, I want to take his head off.
“If they give me the chance to be with him alone in a room, I’m going to kill this motherf-----.”
UFC 282 (December 2022)
Less than a year and numerous insults later, the pair were once again fighting on the same card, this time at UFC 282.
On this occasion, security was on high alert throughout the entire event, ensuring the two fighters didn’t cross paths. That was until the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference, where tensions finally boiled over.
Topuria began verbally abusing Pimblett in front of fans, fighters, and the press. But Pimblett who is never one to back down, fired back without hesitation.
“He’s obsessed with me lad, it’s heavy,” Pimblett told the UFC 282 pre-fight press conference.
"He hasn’t stopped tweeting about me all week lad, he needs to sort his life out.
“That little bum's irrelevant.”
A reporter then asked Topuria whether it had been difficult being around Pimblett that week, but before Ilia could answer, Pimblett jumped in.
“I haven’t seen him lad, I haven’t seen him all week,” Pimblett exclaimed.
“The UFC have kept us apart because when I saw him last time he got a hand sanitiser bottle bounced off his forehead.”
“No one even knows you by your name lad, you’re known as ‘Hand Sanitiser Boy’, you little mongrel.”
Pimblett continued his verbal onslaught, accusing Topuria of being a fake Georgian.
“You pretend you’re Georgian, but you’re not,” said Pimblett.
“You were born in Germany, and you live in Spain.
“You little chorizo, you f----- Spanish sausage.”
At that point, Topuria lost his temper, stood up, and attempted to approach Pimblett for a physical confrontation.
Security quickly intervened, holding Topuria back and protecting Pimblett from further escalation, ending the UFC 282 incident.
UFC 317 (now)
More than two years after their last major altercation, Ilia Topuria has since become the pound-for-pound No. 1 fighter in the UFC, putting together the greatest knockout streak of all time, consecutively knocking out Alex Volkanovski, Max Holloway, and now Charles Oliveira in devastating fashion.
While Paddy Pimblett may not have the same elite resume as Topuria, he has arguably become the UFC’s biggest fan favourite thanks to his charisma, trash talk, and exciting fighting style.
Now that Topuria is the champion of Pimblett’s weight class, he spent most of the lead-up to UFC 317 focusing on calling out Pimblett as his desired next opponent after claiming the title.
“Hopefully Paddy (is next)… Finally, we can be in the same octagon together,” Topuria told the UFC.
“Now it’s real, now it’s just a matter of time. If you ask me, it’s gonna happen.
“I think that the people will love that fight because we have a history behind us, we have a rivalry since a couple of years.
“So, it’s gonna be a great fight, and a huge fight I think.
“Everyone’s gonna love that fight, why? Because it’s gonna be a real, real fight.”
Just days after announcing he wants to fight Pimblett next, Topuria claimed the vacant lightweight championship, and UFC commentator Joe Rogan asked Topuria in his post-fight octagon interview if Paddy Pimblett would be next.
“Listen, I don’t think that he’s gonna accept it, but if he thinks that he’s ready, come on you blonde b----,” Topuria said.
The Georgian then called for Pimblett to step into the octagon, inviting a face-off.
“Bring that b---- here, bring him here.”
Pimblett stormed into the cage and the two immediately began exchanging verbal abuse.
“You will never knock me out, you cannot knock me out,” Pimblett said.
“I’m gonna take your head off, I’m gonna submit you, you little p----,” Topuria responded.
“I’m gonna put my balls on your forehead, you little p----.”
Topuria then shoved Pimblett, prompting security to intervene and escort Pimblett out of the octagon.
Now with one of the biggest fights in UFC history looming, this is a heated fight you do not want to miss, if it gets booked.
