Following his recent victory, Paddy Pimblett is shaping up to be a rising star in the lightweight division, but a few, like Ilia Topuria, aren’t impressed with his performance.
“The Baddy” had his first high-profile fight against UFC veteran Michael Chandler and completely floored his opponent despite skepticism from fans. Pimblett showed his impressive fighting skills and retained his undefeated title as he destroyed Chandler with a TKO victory in the third round. The victory was well celebrated in the MMA world, but not all were impressed by his performance. Speaking with Joe Rogan on the Joe Rogan Experience, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria gave his opinion on Pimblett’s performance at UFC 314.
“He did a great job,” Topuria said of Pimblett. “He did what he had to do, but for me… I’m going to be completely honest with you, for me, Chandler, he never was an extraordinary fighter. He was like an average-level fighter. Who did he beat in the UFC? …
“So he beat Dan Hooker and Tony Ferguson, when [Ferguson] was almost 40 years old.”
Although he complimented Pimblett’s performance, he doesn’t believe Chandler was much of a challenge to him. He characterizes Chandler’s style as “fan-friendly” and doesn’t believe he has what it takes to earn UFC gold.
“At the end of the day, you see wars,” Topuria said. “It’s a very competitive fight. You see almost a bar fight. You see two guys in the middle of the octagon exchanging punches, but you don’t see technique. You don’t see skills.
“You’ll see a great fight, because as fans, it’s very entertaining to watch fights like that. But if you really think about it, you don’t see skills in that fight. You don’t see someone trying to take you down, control you, some great submissions, great transitions, striking — see a guy that’s looking for combinations, looking for his moment, creating spaces. …
“It’s just wild dogs… and that’s cool. You need guys like him. … I would never recommend to someone, ‘Watch this guy and learn something.’”
Topuria’s reaction to Pimblett’s win could be a result of the beef the two have had for some time now. However, with “La Leyenda” vacating the UFC Featherweight Championship in favor of a move up to 155 pounds, there is a chance that he will get to fight Pimblett down the line.
