Las Vegas, NV – UFC featherweight Ilia Topuria gave Bryce Mitchell his first professional loss at UFC 282 on Saturday night, and did it by submission which not many thought would happen.
“I feel very happy. Blessed, and like I always say happy to say that the hard work is (paying) off. About Bryce he’s a good fighter, but I knew that I was way better than him everywhere. On the ground, striking and I proved it,” Topuria told Cageside Press among other media at his post-fight scrum.
Topuria had joked around before the fight saying that he would leave Mitchell’s head as flat as he thought the Earth is.
“And I did it,” Topuria said with a smile.
So with that what is next for ‘El Matador’?
“I would love to fight next for the title, but I know that the champ is coming up to lightweight division so I want to fight with Brian Ortega. With T-City and it will be amazing if it’s going to happen in Madrid City,” he said.
“We’ll see what’s going to happen. Right now I want to celebrate the win with my team, enjoy it, and we’ll see what’s going to happen in the future.”
Topuria mentioning Spain as a place he’d like to fight for the UFC in brings the question of whether the promotion had approached him about it.
“Once I asked Dana and he told me that when I will be in the top 5 probably they will bring the UFC to Spain. I’m not yet in top 5 so we’ll see what’s going to happen,” he said.
Even thought his fight was with Mitchell the load of the questions during the week for Topuria involved Paddy Pimblett and their beef that dates back to an encounter in London last time the UFC was there. Topuria did watch Pimblett’s fight with Jared Gordon in the co-main event.
Pimblett took the decision in a fight that many felt Gordon won.
“They give him a Christmas gift right now because he clearly lost the fight. I don’t think anyone will disagree with me in this room,” Topuria said.
“Yeah Jared (won) all three rounds. (Paddy) didn’t win any rounds, but anyways f*ck him. Right now I’m going to celebrate my win, and like I said before, he’s not on my way right now. God bless everyone who’s not on my way. If he cross on my way then we’re going to put his head like Bryce’s head tonight.”
Watch the entire post-fight scrum with Ilia Topuria above.
