Paddy Pimblett Hints at Topuria’s Lightweight Move
Ilia Topuria’s move to lightweight became official in 2025, but he and Paddy Pimblett have not fought. Topuria won the vacant lightweight title that June; Pimblett later lost an interim-title fight to Justin Gaethje in January 2026.
The post began after Topuria said he intended to leave featherweight following his October 2024 knockout of Max Holloway. Pimblett reacted to the move on social media, adding to a rivalry that began with a heated exchange at a 2022 press conference. No fight between them was booked at the time.
Topuria vacated the featherweight title and knocked out Charles Oliveira in the first round on June 28, 2025, to claim the vacant lightweight belt. Gaethje then defeated Pimblett by unanimous decision in their January 24, 2026 interim-title bout, before beating Topuria by fourth-round corner stoppage on June 14, 2026, for the undisputed title. The June 2025 results, January 2026 results, and June 2026 event recap record those outcomes.
The social-media exchange added heat to the rivalry, but no bout followed. Topuria’s move became a sequence of completed fights and title changes; Pimblett’s January 2026 loss was a separate contest. Gaethje later stopped Topuria to become undisputed champion, leaving the proposed Topuria–Pimblett matchup unmade as of the latest results here.
Sources
Tags: MMA
