UFC rivals Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuira were involved in a brief scuffle at the fighter hotel in London yesterday just days before they are set to compete in separate bouts at UFC Fight Night 204 on Saturday.
Topuira, flanked by several members of his camp, ran into Pimblett at the hotel lobby with just a reception desk between them. Topuira appears to initiate the scuffle by throwing something at Pimblett, who responded by launching a bottle of hand sanitiser at his head.
Topuira retaliated by throwing a punch that Pimblett seems to dodge before other members of Topuira’s camp pulled him away from the incident as the two fighters continue to mouth off at each other.
For those wondering why there’s animosity between the two, Pimblett had previously weighed in last year with a crude jibe referencing Russia having bombed Topuira’s home country of Georgia and it’s clearly something he’s not forgotten.
“I warned you!” Topuira wrote on Twitter. “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 🖕.”
Needless to say Pimblett saw things differently.
“Imagine trying to jump someone on their own with 5 of your boys & you dont land a single shot & get a bottle of hand sanitizer bounced off your head (clown),” Pimblett replied. “Don’t try to act big like you did something when you sh*t your pants pretending ur boys was holding u back. Pu**y.”
Long considered one of the UK’s top prospects outside of the UFC, Pimblett finally joined the promotion last year and won his first fight via KO and is due to fight Rodrigo Vargas on Saturday night.
As for Topuira, he’s 3-0 in the UFC so far, including KO’s in his last two fights, and will fight Jai Herbert on this weekend’s card.
