Two lightweights scheduled to fight on this weekend’s UFC London card got into it at the Fighter Hotel on Tuesday — and they’re not even fighting each other this Saturday.
Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria had a little row at the site, which saw a water bottle tossed, some plates knocked over, and plenty of foul language exchanged along with a few punches thrown, which appear to have missed. Topuria would later release a clip of the incident on social media, along with a message for Paddy “The Baddy.”
“I warned you! This is what happens when you disrespect me and my country! You saw me and wanted to greet me because you sh*t your pants… and you should thank my team because of it wasn’t for them separating me, I would have taken your head off,” Topuria wrote.
I warned you! This is what happens when you disrespect me and my country! You saw me and wanted to greet me because you shit your pants… and you should thank my team because of it wasn’t for them separating me, I would have taken your head off. @theufcbaddy 🖕 pic.twitter.com/PEdPRNGH5n
— Ilia Topuria (@Topuriailia) March 15, 2022
England’s Pimblett had actually called for the release of the footage.
“Post the video lad if u have footage,” he Tweeted to Topuria. “Let’s show the world u coming at me and me standing my ground against a full firm of 6 of u an then u throwing shots that I slip and bounce a hand sanitiser off ur head u little worm.”
Pimblett has previously made derogatory remarks about Georgians, something that drew the ire of more than one fighter from the Republic. Topuria is one of them.
Topuria (11-0), however, is scheduled to fight Jai Herbert at UFC London, which takes place at the O2 Arena this Saturday, March 19, 2022. He’s moving up to the lightweight division for the bout, after seeing a fight with Charles Jourdain fall through due to a bad weight cut earlier this year.
Pimblett (17-3), meanwhile, is fighting Rodrigo Vargas, in what will be the British fighter’s second UFC appearance. If Topuria opts to stick around 155lbs, however, this could be a fight the promotion could make down the line.
