Ilia Topuria Squashes Beef, Bills Paddy Pimblett Vs Justin Gaethje ‘Very Deserving’ Title Scrap

A recent announcement by Ilia Topuria revealed his decision to take a hiatus from MMA to address some personal family matters. Hence, it has opened up a title slot with the UFC 155-pound king absent. Consequently, Paddy Pimblett will now compete against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title at the UFC 324: Gaethje vs. Pimblett PPV lineup in Paradise on January 24.

There has been some backlash on this matchmaking. But Paddy Pimblett has remained classy and defended it ahead of his first real title shot; he has also opted not to kick rival Ilia Topuria while he’s down and out for personal reasons. The two have been bitter rivals for years and even had a charged-up face-off at UFC 317.

To that end, a father of two himself, “The Baddy”, even wished the rival well to get over his personal problems in private. Out of active contention for a while, Topuria has returned the favour while pitching in on his rival and this UFC 324 PPV interim title fight.

I [have]always said he looked like someone who’s a super entertaining guy who did a superb job, …He had his slips with a tweet that he made about Georgia. But I think we all learn from our mistakes; deep down – he is a person who understands family problems, personal problems – I respect it. What will happen in the octagon is something that really excites everyone, [but] at the end of the day, we are professionals.

Ilia Topuria in a media interview with ESPN Deportes

Their feud gained mainstream attention after the pair nearly came to blows at the UFC host hotel in London. Over time, the pair also exchanged frequent barbs about their perceived limits and personal perspectives. It blew out of proportion when Pimblett bantered with Guram Kutateladze and made crass remarks about Georgia (‘El Matador’ took notice).

Appearing on “The MMA Hour w/Ariel Helwani” for MMAFighting on SBN, the Spanish-Georgian star shunned the rival for it, and things have been bitter since. In his initial response to Pimblett’s controversial social media post, a warning was issued by Topuria that his take would “haunt” him, and he’d take his head. Things seem to have mellowed down at last.

If this guys thinks that this is somehow funny or appropriate then I don’t know what to say. My grandparents just like a lot of other innocent people were killed during the war. I feel ashamed that this kind of people represent our sport. @ufc pic.twitter.com/A2gCgcXD77

— Liana Jojua (@lianajojua) April 2, 2021

On the flip side, Ilia Topuria already considered Justin Gaethje deserving of a title shot. Topuria’s team rep, Lukasz Orzel, told Kanał Sportowy that he had insider cues that UFC might be pushing Gaethje for a top shot, after the near-finish of Rafael Fiziev. With 14 post-fight bonuses in as many fights, the former lightweight interim champ is a bona fide star. Additionally, Topuria pitched in further on this particular angle.

UFC’s surprising plans for Justin Gaethje keep fans curious after Ilia Topuria hints at ‘America 250’ scrap

Ilia Topuria was highly rumoured to be on the ballot for the first-ever UFC-Paramount event this January. But with the UFC Lightweight king taking a leave, UFC matchmakers gave the feature headlining slot to Justin Gaethje vs. Paddy Pimblett for an interim lightweight title bout.

Gaethje has run up a bad tab, threatening to retire him because he didn’t get his shot. A modest 3-2 in his last few runs, Gaethje told The Makeshift Podcast that he’d rather hang up than face thriller top contender matchups again. At the time, it was directed at rumours about a top-contender matchup vs. Pimblett.

As a response, they now fight for the interim title, with the winner gradually facing Topuria. The champ had his own insight on the matter (via @CCLegaspi):

Ilia Topuria reveals the UFC has different plans for Justin Gaethje if he wins against Paddy.

"If Justin Gaethje wins, the UFC has different plans that I can’t talk about at this moment. I don’t know how capable he will be of ruining the plans of the UFC and Paddy."

(via… pic.twitter.com/7DS7AS3rUJ

— Red Corner MMA (@RedCorner_MMA) December 14, 2025

The “America 250” White House PPV card takes place this summer of 2026, with UFC CEO Dana White promising one-of-one matchups like never before. A lightweight title unifier of the top order would make sense.

Scouser Pimblett and Alicante-Georgian Topuria have the backing of large fan followings. On the other hand, Gaethje is equally a popular fan-favourite and winning at UFC 324 bolsters his chances further as the only American staple in the trio.

ALSO READ: UFC 324 Lightweight Title Scrap Defended By Justin Gaethje, Despite Absolute Criticism