Ilia Topuria wants Paddy Pimblett in next fight after ruthless Charles Oliveira KO at UFC 317 - 'I’m really going to enjoy kicking his a**'

A lightweight title fight between newly crowned champion Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett could be on the cards following their heated exchange at UFC 317. "That's the fight I want," confirmed Topuria, after he ruthlessly knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round in Las Vegas. The pair have a long-running feud following an incident at a UFC event in London back in 2022.

Topuria calls out and then shoves Pimblett in tense face to face - 'Look at me'

Video credit: TNT Sports

Ilia Topuria has fuelled speculation of a fight with rival Paddy Pimblett after being crowned the new UFC lightweight champion on Saturday night.

The Georgian-Spaniard ruthlessly knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round at UFC 317, landing a devastating early combination in Las Vegas.

The Brazilian former titleholder was instantly knocked to the floor, before being finished off with a couple of devastating hammer-fist strikes to the face.

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The belt was up for grabs after Islam Makhachev vacated it to move up a weight class.

Shortly after his demolition of Oliveira in Las Vegas, 'El Matador' decided to add some spice to the night by calling out Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett.

"Whoever is ready for me, I’m here," he said. "I don’t think he’s gonna accept it, but if he thinks he’s ready, come on."

‘Paddy the Baddy’, who was watching from the crowd, made his way into the Octagon to confront the new belt holder.

"That was a heavy knockout, I’ll give you that," Pimblett said "Respect, but you will never knock me out. You know you can’t knock me out. I finish you, little man."

Their war of words at T-Mobile Arena came to an abrupt end when Topuria shoved Pimblett in the chest, prompting security to step in.

The pair’s rivalry has been brewing since 2022, when Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitiser at Topuria during a UFC event at a hotel in London.

Highlights: Topuria knocks out Oliveira to win lightweight title

Video credit: TNT Sports

Both fighters have continued to publicly insult each other since, but a bout seemed unlikely with them being in different weight classes.

However, now that Topuria has moved into the lightweight division, a long-awaited grudge match is certainly possible.

"Yes, that’s the fight I want," confirmed Topuria following the heated Octagon exchange.

Speaking in the post-fight press conference, he added: "With Charles, I had a bit of a difficult situation because I really like the guy.

"He’s a really great human being, you can’t hate him. But with Paddy, I’m really going to enjoy kicking his a**."

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Thoughts?