Ilia Topuria Leads UFC Rivals in Mocking Paddy Pimblett After Title Defeat
Paddy Pimblett faced a brutal five-round onslaught from Justin Gaethje in their UFC interim lightweight title fight, but the Liverpudlian's punishment did not end with the final bell. In the aftermath of his first promotional defeat, a chorus of rivals, led by full lightweight champion Ilia Topuria, lined up to deliver scathing verbal blows on social media.
A Cascade of Criticism from Fellow Fighters
Bloodied, bruised, and reportedly heading straight to a hospital bed after the contest, Pimblett found himself defenceless against a torrent of online criticism from high-profile UFC stars. The first to strike was Arman Tsarukyan, who felt Pimblett had unjustly taken his shot at the interim title.
"This clown couldn’t beat Gaethje on antibiotics," Tsarukyan declared, referencing a suspected infection the American carried into the fight. "He’s a trash can; Paddy is not a top fighter. If it was me, Gaethje wouldn’t do that."
Welterweight champion Islam Makhachev followed with a cryptic barb, stating, "What was brought on a platter turned out to be inedible," suggesting Pimblett had been handed a golden opportunity only to squander it.
Topuria's Personal and Financial Jab
The most pointed comments, however, came from Ilia Topuria, the reigning UFC lightweight champion with whom Pimblett shares a long and contentious history. Topuria did not hold back in his assessment.
"Little sausage, the only thing you had to do was beat a 38-year-old guy," he blasted. "You just lost the biggest paycheck of your life. You were going to get rich if you won."
This remark highlighted the significant financial stakes Pimblett has reportedly missed out on, including a potential money-spinning title unification bout with Topuria, rumoured to be slated for an unprecedented event on The White House's lawn in June.
Pimblett's Gritty Performance and Defiant Response
Despite the defeat and subsequent mockery, Pimblett earned respect for his resilience inside the octagon. Facing Gaethje, a veteran with 20 knockouts to his name, Pimblett refused to fold. Gaethje dropped him in the opening round and dominated the second, putting himself firmly on course for victory.
Pimblett dug deep in the third to offer a glimmer of hope, but Gaethje reasserted his control in the penultimate round. Unable to find the finish he needed in the final frame, the Liverpool fighter heard the final bell before the judges' decision confirmed his loss.
In a post-fight statement, a defiant Pimblett vowed to return. "You live and you learn; I'm 31, I will be back better. You haven't seen the last of me," he mustered. "I wanted to be walking away with that belt. I know how tough I am and I don't need to prove that to anyone."
Gaethje's Lesson and the Aftermath
Justin Gaethje, while adopting a more measured tone than his peers, made it clear he had delivered a harsh lesson to his opponent. "I knew he wasn't going to quit; I've never seen him quit," Gaethje said. "From the minute he got in there, he didn't take his eyes off me. I guess that was me not so long ago and I loved teaching him a lesson."
He specifically referenced Pimblett's pre-fight bravado, noting, "He said my face was not going to look the same after the fight and his would look the exact same, but you can't have that mentality. He needs to accept the worst possible outcome and that's how you perform the best."
Since his UFC debut five years ago, Paddy Pimblett has cultivated almost as many rivals as victories, a trend starkly evident in the immediate aftermath of this pivotal title fight. The event has not only reshaped the lightweight division's landscape but also intensified the personal animosities that now define its upper echelons.
