Paddy Pimblett claims he knows exactly how he will stop Ilia Topuria after UFC 317 brawl

Paddy Pimblett wants to 'disfigure' long-time rival Ilia Topuria and claims he would want to stop 'El Matador' with a minute left as opposed to a quick finish.

The new UFC lightweight champion had a face-off with his rival, Pimblett, in the cage which quickly turned physical. This came after Topuria's staggering first-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317, earning him an unprecedented undefeated two-weight championship status.

Topuria wasted no time in calling for his next shot with both Pimblett and Arman Tsarukyan. The 28-year-old threw a slight verbal jab at Tsarukyan - referencing the back issue he suffered which ruled him out of his title fight with Islam Makhachev earlier this year.

However, Topuria was eager to send a message to the Liverpudlian before the pair exchanged verbal blows in the cage. Talking to Topuria, Pimblett said: "Well done, lad, well done, that was a heavy knockout. I give you that, respect, but you will never knock me out." Topuria responded by branding the Brit a "p****y" as Pimblett continued to tell him he would not do to him what he did to Oliveira. "Watch what is going to happen with you," Topuria retorted. "I'm going to take your head out. I'm going to submit you, you little p*****. I'm going to put my balls on your forehead, you p****."

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The heated exchange escalated until Topuria ended it by shoving Pimblett aside, marking a dramatic post-fight episode that has since been a huge talking point in the MMA world. Following the encounter, Pimblett sent a warning to his long-time rival ahead of a potential title fight and revealed how he would stop him. The pair have been involved in a heated feud since 2022 after the they came to blows in a London hotel ahead of a UFC event. "You don't even need to sell that fight – it sells itself," of a possible matchup with Topuria on ESPN's UFC 317 post-fight show. "Two people who genuinely dislike each other. We don't really get that.

"We haven't seen that since Khabib (Nurmagomedov) and (Conor) McGregor, two people who actually hate each other. Because I hate him," Pimblett continued. "I wouldn't want to finish him fast, I would want to finish him with a minute left in the fight after I've elbow him 700 times. I'd want to disfigure him."

Later, UFC supremo Dana White acknowledged letting Pimblett inside the cage was a mistake. "I don't know who the hell let [Paddy] in there. That should've never happened," lamented White, while also showing reluctance to guarantee 'The Baddy' a title opportunity despite being the No.8 ranked.

Adding more fuel to the fiery contender landscape, No. 1 ranked Arman Tsarukyan dismissed the champion as a false threat. Through a social media post, Tsarukyan stated confidently: "It was never supposed to be Charles," before laying down his own gauntlet. "I can finish Ilia, simple as that, and he knows it too. That's why he's avoiding the real #1 contender."