Pimblett Says Topuria Isn’t Big Enough at Lightweight
In February 2025, Paddy Pimblett questioned whether Ilia Topuria had earned an immediate jump from featherweight champion to a lightweight title fight against Islam Makhachev. The distinction matters: Pimblett was talking about title defenses and drawing power, not claiming Topuria was physically too small to compete at 155 pounds. The headline’s “big enough” refers to star power.
Speaking on the Blood Red podcast, Pimblett said Topuria had defended the featherweight belt once and argued that a champion would normally need several defenses before moving directly into a second title opportunity. He added that Topuria was “not that big of a star to just jump” and was not Conor McGregor. That was Pimblett’s opinion about the promotion’s matchmaking and business logic, not an announced promotional policy or a statement from Makhachev. MMA Fighting’s report carries the full context and interview quotations.
What Pimblett was reacting to in 2025
Topuria had won the featherweight championship by knocking out Alexander Volkanovski in February 2024. He then defended it against Max Holloway that October, stopping the former champion in the third round. That one successful defense was the point Pimblett referenced, though the quality of Topuria’s wins had already made his case for a superfight a major topic. Makhachev’s fourth defense came against Renato Moicano in January 2025, where he submitted the short-notice challenger in the first round. The official event recap confirms the result and title-defense count.
At the time, Topuria was coming off knockout wins over Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway, while Makhachev had recently made a fourth straight defense of the lightweight championship. The proposed matchup was discussed as a possible champion-versus-champion superfight, but it had not been booked. Pimblett also said he had heard Topuria might headline the April 2025 event against Volkanovski, while cautioning that nothing was final. Instead, Volkanovski fought Diego Lopes for the vacant featherweight title in the April 2025 main event. The rumor did not become a booking. The official event recap records the actual card and results.
Pimblett compared the possibility with McGregor’s unusual route from a featherweight title win to a lightweight title opportunity. The Irish star’s exceptional commercial standing gave him leverage that Pimblett believed Topuria had not yet matched. Pimblett and Topuria had feuded before, so his view was both a read on title matchmaking and the opinion of a potential rival. The interview did not establish a formal promotional standard for when a champion can move divisions.
Later results changed the title picture
Topuria later vacated the featherweight title and fought Charles Oliveira for the vacant lightweight championship at the June 2025 event. He won by first-round knockout at 2:27, becoming the new lightweight champion, according to the official event results. Makhachev moved up to welterweight and defeated Jack Della Maddalena by unanimous decision in November 2025 to win that division’s title. The two champions therefore took separate routes rather than meeting for the lightweight belt. The official event recap documents Makhachev’s welterweight title win.
Pimblett’s own title path also advanced. After stopping Michael Chandler in April 2025, he challenged Justin Gaethje for the interim championship in January 2026. Gaethje won by unanimous decision, as recorded on the official event results page. Those later outcomes do not prove Pimblett’s 2025 prediction right or wrong on its original merits; they show how quickly title plans and divisions shifted. His comments were a snapshot of the debate before Topuria moved to lightweight, not a report of a confirmed booking.
Sources
Tags: MMA
