Paddy Pimblett reveals why he can get under Ilia Topuria’s skin, claims he can beat him like Conor McGregor beat Jose Aldo

Paddy Pimblett has once again called for a fight with Ilia Topuria and believes their rivalry could produce an explosive season of The Ultimate Fighter. The UFC lightweight claims he would get under Topuria’s skin so much during the show that the tension would carry into their eventual fight.Pimblett has no fight officially booked at the moment, but the Liverpool star has made it clear that Topuria remains a matchup he wants. Speaking to KOLOS MMA, Pimblett made a bold prediction about how the fight would play out, comparing his potential victory to Conor McGregor’s famous 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo.Paddy Pimblett wants TUF season with Ilia TopuriaPaddy Pimblett believes a season of The Ultimate Fighter with Ilia Topuria as opposing coaches would give their long-running rivalry another level of intensity.The two fighters have had bad blood since 2022. Their rivalry began with exchanges on social media before becoming a physical confrontation around UFC London. Pimblett threw a bottle of hand sanitizer during the incident, adding another chapter to their already heated relationship.Since then, the two have continued to trade insults and discuss each other in interviews.Now, Pimblett believes a TUF season would give him plenty of opportunities to get inside Topuria’s head before they eventually share the Octagon.He said, “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 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.”Pimblett’s reference is to McGregor’s iconic victory over Aldo at UFC 194 in December 2015. McGregor stopped the Brazilian with a first-round knockout just 13 seconds into the fight.The British fighter believes he could create a similar outcome against Topuria after building the rivalry during a potential TUF season.Topuria has since moved to the lightweight division and suffered the first professional defeat of his MMA career against Justin Gaethje in June 2026. Gaethje stopped him via fourth-round TKO after Topuria’s corner ended the fight.Topuria has now returned to training following his recovery. He recently shared training pictures on social media with the caption, “Back to the office.”The post attracted attention from MMA fans, with several supporters calling for a fight between Topuria and Pimblett.For Pimblett, however, the interest is not new. He has repeatedly discussed his desire to settle his rivalry with Topuria inside the Octagon.A TUF season would also give the UFC an opportunity to build on years of tension between the two fighters before their potential matchup.For now, Pimblett remains without a confirmed fight. But his latest comments show that Topuria remains firmly on his radar.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.