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Tag: Ilia Topuria

  • Max Holloway Hits Back At Ilia Topuria Blaming Him For Fight Delay: ‘Guy Is Just Making Things Up At This Stage’

    Max Holloway Hits Back At Ilia Topuria Blaming Him For Fight Delay: ‘Guy Is Just Making Things Up At This Stage’

    If someone is to blame for the lack of a date for their fight, Max Holloway has told UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria that it does not lie at his door.

    Holloway, a former titleholder at 145 pounds, appeared to secure his position as number one contender in the division with his exploits up at lightweight this year.

    Following back-to-back wins over Arnold Allen and “The Korean Zombie” in 2023, “Blessed” returned to 155 pounds to challenge for Justin Gaethje’s symbolic BMF strap at the milestone UFC 300 pay-per-view event this past April.

    After delivering a highlight that is being discussed among the most memorable in UFC history, Holloway outlined his intention to regain the featherweight gold. While Topuria appeared to favor other options, even naming Brian Ortega as a more logical opponent, he’s since vowed to be the first to knock the Hawaiian out.

    That bout is still awaiting official confirmation, however, and “El Matador” claims that personal matters and weight difficulties on the side of Holloway are the cause.

    “It’s not because of me,” Topuria said when asked why the UFC hasn’t announced his first title defense yet. “They called me to say Max Holloway was having family issues, that he was having trouble cutting weight, and that he wanted to fight at a higher weight class. Honestly, I don’t know. I have no idea.”

    It didn’t take long for Holloway to call those remarks out as false…

    Holloway Drops Sphere Event As Preferred Date After Rejecting Topuria Claims

    Following Topuria’s comments while attending the El Matador film presentation in Madrid, “Blessed” quickly took to social media to accuse the champ of “making thing up” regarding why their fight is yet to come to fruition.

    “Guy is just making things up at this stage,” Holloway wrote. “I been ready.”

    When Topuria responded by inviting Holloway to drop a desired date, the former champ pointed to the upcoming pay-per-view at Las Vegas’ Sphere on September 14.

    “Been talking to them brother. You need to check your numbers. Since you said it the Sphere by toe hold. See you soon.”

  • Joe Rogan Outlines Mistake Alexander Volkanovski Made In Accepting Ilia Topuria Fight: ‘If I Had His Ear…’

    Joe Rogan Outlines Mistake Alexander Volkanovski Made In Accepting Ilia Topuria Fight: ‘If I Had His Ear…’

    As Joe Rogan said on a recent episode of his podcast, Ilia Topuria didn’t need any additional inspiration to believe that he was going to become the UFC featherweight champion.

    At UFC 298, “El Matador” was crowned after he stopped the 145-pound great Alexander Volkanovski with a ruthless knockout.

    Having not been stopped since his fourth pro fight, Volkanovski has now been on the end of two decisive knockouts in his last two fights.

    The Aussie fighter was already planning to defend his title against Topuria when he got the call to step in on a few weeks notice to move up a weight class and face Islam Makhachev.

    With Charles Oliveira out, a generous offer from the UFC and the chance to earn some revenge after he was beaten by Makhachev that same year, Volkanovski knew he had to say yes.

    Joe Rogan Wishes We Could Have Seen Alexander Volkanovski Face Ilia Topuria Without Fighting At UFC 294

    Whether or not Volkanovski’s performance against Topuria was hindered by his knockout loss to Makhachev four months prior is debatable.

    On The Joe Rogan Experience, elite grappler and coach of Volkanovski, Craig Jones, spoke about this with the UFC commentator.

    Rogan believes that the knockout and quick turnaround undoubtedly affected Volkanovski at UFC 298.

    “This is a short amount of time and then everything kind of falls apart and I think it wouldn’t have fallen apart if not for the rematch. If it wasn’t for the rematch, if he just waited for Topuria, I got to think that head kick has a factor. I mean to get brained like that with a shin to the dome, which is the worst way to get knocked out, it’s so much power in legs.”

    Rogan went on to say that he would have tried to talk Volkanovski out of taking the fight so that he could face Topuria in the best shape possible.

    “It’s so tricky cuz I’m just such a huge Volk fan that I just wish I had his ear. I don’t know if he would have listened to me but if I had his ear…”        

    Read also: ‘It’s Over For The Diamond’ – Fans React As Islam Makhachev Reveals Khabib Nurmagomedov Will Return To His Corner At UFC 302

  • Alexander Volkanovski: Let’s See If Ilia Topuria Can Handle The ‘Real Volkanovski’ In Rematch

    According to Alexander Volkanovski, UFC Featherweight Champion Ilia Topuria is yet to defeat the “real” version of “Alexander the Great” inside the Octagon.

    Topuria brought Volkanovski’s lengthy and dominant reign on the 145-pound throne to an end at the UFC 298 pay-per-view in Anaheim this past February, knocking the Australian out in round two.

    Given that Volkanovski suffered a similar fate just four months prior at the hands of Islam Makhachev, many put the violent loss to “El Matador” down to the quick turnaround that the now-former champ committed to.

    While he’s avoided making any excuses, the 35-year-old has noted his intention to take a longer break before returning to action. And with that, “Alexander the Great” says Topuria can expect to face the “real” Volkanovski second time around…

    Volkanovski Excited To Give Topuria ‘Real’ Test

    During a recent interview with The AllStar, Volkanovski reiterated his insistence that a title challenge will await him upon his return to the Octagon toward the end of 2024.

    Should that come to fruition, “Alexander the Great” has no doubt that things will play out much differently than they did in California earlier this year.

    “Not taking anything away because Ilia’s a great fighter, but let’s see — ’cause the next Volkanovski is gonna turn up, the real Volkanovski,” the Australian said. “Let’s see if Ilia can handle it.

    “Again, I’m not taking anything away from him and not saying he can’t. He’s obviously got heavy hands, obviously got good skill,” Volkanovski continued. “But I want him to be tested against the best version of myself.”

    For now, Topuria’s focus appears to be elsewhere. Having dismissed claims he turned down a rematch with Volkanovski for Perth this August, the Georgian-Spaniard has been going back and forth with Max Holloway.

    Given his demands for the Hawaiian’s BMF belt to also be on the line, the date and stipulations for that potential title fight remain to be seen. Latest reports, however, suggest it is in the works for UFC 306 at the Sphere this September.

    By the sound of things, Volkanovski will be waiting in the wings for the winner.

  • Paddy Pimblett Responds To Ilia Topuria Saying He’s Afraid To Fight

    Paddy Pimblett has responded to Ilia Topuria already accusing him of ducking him.

    Before UFC London was even a thought, Pimblett and Topuria went back-and-forth on social media. Pimblett said some controversial things on social media about Georgia, where Topuria is from. It caused a major backlash and with them being on the same card at UFC London, they had a run-in at the hotel.

    Topuria and his team saw Pimblett in a room and approached him. After some words were exchanged, Pimblett threw a hand sanitizer bottle at his head. To no surprise, after Topuria picked up a KO win over Jai Herbert, he called out Pimblett but ‘The Baddy’ doesn’t seem too interested in it.

    “As I said, he’s just ‘hand sanitizer boy to me.’ A lion doesn’t concern himself with the opinion of sheep,” Pimblett said after the fight.

    Although Pimblett didn’t seem too interested in facing Toupira, the Georgian said it is because he doesn’t have the “balls” to fight him. However, for the Brit, he says that is not the case as for him, he says everyone wants to fight him and he’s the star so he will decide who he gets next.

    “Everyone wants to fight me. Everyone wants to hang on my coattails. No one knew who ‘hand sanitizer boy’ was until he decided to start an altercation with me. No one knew who he was. I’m the (star). Everyone wants to fight me.”

    Paddy Pimblett did score a first-round submission over Kazula Vargas at UFC London. It improved him to 2-0 in the UFC and he is now an even bigger star as fans got to see how well-received he is in England. Ilia Topuria, meanwhile, scored a vicious KO win over Jai Herbert, but it seems likely he will drop down to featherweight.

    Do you think we will see Paddy Pimblett fight Ilia Topuria?

  • Ilia Topuria: The UFC Would Have To Force Paddy Pimblett To Fight Me

    Ilia Topuria wants a fight with Paddy Pimblett next, but he isn’t confident that the matchup will take place.

    Topuria took care of business at UFC London with an impressive come-from-behind win over Jai Herbert. After getting rocked with a big head kick in the opening round, Topuria bounced back in a big way with a big right hook that slept Herbert in Round 2.

    Topuria was making his lightweight debut after competing at featherweight for the majority of his career. The fight was taken on short notice after Herbert’s original opponent, Mike Davis, withdrew with an injury.

    Topuria and Pimblett engaged in a heated altercation during fight week at their hotel, with the two fighters nearly getting into an all-out brawl. Topuria’s animosity towards Pimblett stems from Pimblett’s previous comments mocking Georgia, his home country.

    Topuria used his post-fight Octagon interview to call for a fight with Pimblett before Pimblett earned a first-round finish over Kazula Vargas.

    During his UFC London post-fight press conference, Topuria gave his thoughts on the chances of Pimblett agreeing to a fight with him.

    “Paddy? Never, never ever,” Topuria said. “I don’t think so, maybe if Dana stay with him with a gun, maybe yes. If they force him to go inside the cage with me, maybe. Otherwise, I don’t think so. I don’t think he has the balls to fight me.”

    Tensions between Topuria and Pimblett have escalated following their altercation. Topuria has recently claimed that if he and Pimblett were alone in a room, he would kill Pimblett.

    Topuria is now 12-0 in his professional MMA career with four straight wins in the UFC. Before his win over Herbert, he earned finishes over Ryan Hall and Damon Jackson at featherweight.

    Pimblett’s win over Vargas puts him at 2-0 since signing with the UFC last year. He won his debut last September in a first-round TKO of Luigi Vendramini.

    Pimblett appeared to downplay Topuria’s callout during his post-fight Octagon interview, referring to Topuria as a “sheep”. While it’s unclear if Topuria will fight at lightweight going forward, a fight between these two adversaries seems like a no-brainer.

    Do you think we’ll ever see Ilia Topuria vs. Paddy Pimblett?

  • Ilia Topuria: I’d Kill Paddy Pimblett If We Were Alone In A Room

    Ilia Topuria doesn’t expect tensions to have eased if he collides with lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett again in London this week.

    While they both have opponents of their own to focus on for this weekend, Kazula Vargas for the Englishman and Jai Herbert for the Georgian, Pimblett and Topuria have formed a more intense feud between themselves.

    They’d previously clashed online following distasteful tweets “The Baddy” posted about the Russo-Georgian War. But the animosity between the pair reached a boiling point at the fighter hotel on Tuesday.

    After Topuria approached Pimbett, objects and insults were exchanged, with the ranked UFC featherweight seemingly landing a punch to the Liverpudlian’s arm.

    At media day, Pimblett gave his side of the story, accusing “El Matador,” who he branded “hand sanitizer boy,” of trying to “act hard” and doing “nothing” despite a clear number advantage.

    During an appearance on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, Topuria responded. He claimed Pimblett initially tried to act friendly. According to the Georgian, while he tries to be a “gangster” online, the Englishman was “quiet like a bitch” in person.

    “He saw me and he was like, smiling at me, and he wanted me to shake his hand. I don’t know what he wanted for my part,” recalled Topuria. “And (when) I saw him, I threw a bottle to his face and then everything started. But he was quiet like a bitch. He didn’t say anything. Fuck him. He’s just a man on Twitter. This is not Twitter. This is real life. If you wanna play a gangster, be a gangster by the end. If not, just stay quiet, kid.”

    When asked what would happen if he comes across Pimblett again prior to Saturday’s fight night, Topuria revealed he’s expecting a similar situation. However, if he were to find himself alone with “The Baddy,” he expects things to end very differently for the Brit.

    “The same thing you saw in the video (will happen if I see him again). If I have the chance, I don’t know, if they give me the chance to be with him alone in a room, I’m gonna kill this motherfucker,” asserted Topuria.

    Topuria: Pimblett Should Be Thankful After Hotel Clash

    Ultimately, while footage of the incident has gone viral, the pair avoided a full-blown brawl, with members of Topuria’s entourage quickly separating their man from his fellow main-card competitor.

    When recalling the incident, Pimblett suggested he escaped a six-on-one clash unscathed. But further into his conversation with Helwani, Topuria noted that the members of his team mostly played peacekeeping roles.

    He believes Pimblett should be thankful for that, because if they didn’t, he would’ve ended up in hospital.

    “He saw me and he shit on his pants… I was trying to take his head off. He (posted) something like, ‘It was six versus me.’ You can see in the video, my coach was on his back making a coffee,” said Topuria. “(He was) calm. He didn’t even move.

    “No one touched him. My brother was separating me. Can you imagine if everyone go against him? He was alone. We will kill him,” added Topuria. “He should be thankful (to) all my teammates because they separated me. If not, he will be, I don’t know, in the hospital right now.”

    What did you make of Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett’s hotel altercation?

  • Paddy Pimblett Details Altercation With “Hand Sanitizer Boy” Topuria

    Lightweight prospect Paddy Pimblett has detailed his hotel altercation with fellow UFC London competitor Ilia Topuria, and even debuted a new nickname for the Georgian.

    This weekend sees the UFC return to England’s capital for the first time since 2019. In two notable main card lightweight scraps, Paddy Pimblett will be making his sophomore appearance in the Octagon, while #15-ranked featherweight Topuria will be competing at 155 pounds for the first time.

    Sharing the cage with Topuria in the main card opener will be Englishman Jai Herbert. Three fights later, “The Baddy,” who is expected to be showered with perhaps the loudest cheers of the night, will collide with Rodrigo “Kazula” Vargas.

    While they may be preparing for different opponents, Pimblett and Topuria nearly got into full-blown fight themselves at the fighter hotel on Tuesday, which was apparently over a tweet posted by the Brit in 2021.

    In a video recorded by a member of Topuria’s entourage, the Georgian can be seen approaching the Liverpudlian. The pair were split after a number of thrown items and insults were exchanged.

    During his appearance at media day on Wednesday, Pimblett gave his side of the story, channeling his inner-Colby Covington with a new nickname for Topuria.

    “Who’s that? Oh, hand sanitizer boy? Is that who you mean? Yeah, that’s his name from now on,” said Pimblett. “Don’t refer to him as his name lad, his name’s hand sanitizer. It got bounced off his head. But I don’t concern myself with none of that lad. He wanted to come at me and try to act hard, and he got put in his place.

    “I was stood there, on me own, and there was about six of them. And he done nothing,” Pimblett continued. “If he wanted to do something, he would’ve come around the table and tried to have a fight with me. But he didn’t. He stood on the other side of the table because he knows what’s good for him.”

    After confirming that Topuria approached him prior to the incident, Pimblett branded the Georgian’s actions as “little man syndrome.”

    “As soon as he come out of those double doors he snarled me. So I looked at him and said, ‘What?’” Pimblett recalled. “And then he walked towards me and I said, ‘What’s happening lad?’ And then as he got close to me, he like, swiped a slap at me. Obviously lad, if you raise your hand to me, I’m gonna do something.

    “I stepped back and picked the hand sanitizer up and bounced it off his head. He swung… I moved out of the way with a bit of ease. He’s just got a little bit of small man syndrome. He’s only 5’7″, isn’t he?”

    Pimblett Explains Why He Didn’t Let Topuria Clash Escalate

    Despite the launching of sanitary objects and a few loose swings from Topuria, the pair’s altercation didn’t quite reach the point where fists connected.

    Pimblett explained that, with an exciting appearance at UFC London looming, he couldn’t risk losing his spot on the card, either through injury or disciplinary actions.

    “I wasn’t punching him because I’m not breaking my hand and not being able to fight and earn my money on the weekend… I can’t let something like that happen lad. I can’t start throwing punches and get cut off the card… Especially (against) someone so meaningless. Who even is he? Seriously, who is Mr. Hand Sanitizer? He’s a no one.”

    https://twitter.com/theufcbaddy/status/1504024299224584195

    While the interaction remains a hot topic, both Pimblett and Topuria will be looking to turn their full attention to the task at hand this Saturday. if both are victorious, perhaps we’ll see them share the Octagon down the line.

    Would you like to see Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria settle their differences inside the Octagon?

  • Watch: Paddy Pimblett & Ilia Topuria Involved In Backstage Altercation

    UFC fighters Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria may not be fighting each other this weekend at UFC London, but that didn’t stop them at the fighter hotel.

    Pimblett will face Kazula Vargas in his second fight in the UFC’s lightweight division, in front of what should be a raucous crowd at The O2 Arena in London. He won his UFC debut over Luigi Vendramini last September.

    This will also be Pimblett’s first fight in the UK since he fought in Cage Warriors.

    Topuria will also fight at lightweight at UFC London despite competing at featherweight for the majority of his career. He’ll face rising British MMA prospect, Jai Herbert, on the main card.

    In a video of the incident, Topuria appears to throw a punch at Pimblett while he and his team passed him before personnel intervened and separated the two fighters.

    Topuria shared footage of the incident in a recent tweet and sent a message to Pimblett.

    “I wanted you!” Topuria said. “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.”

    Topuria’s animosity towards Pimblett appears to stem from Pimblett’s previous comments about the country of Georgia, Topuria’s home nation. UFC fighter Liana Jojua highlighted Pimblett’s comments in a tweet last April.

    “Lad how stupid are these Georgians man,” Pimblett appears to tweet. “No wonder the Russians terrorise their lives.”

    The UFC has yet to issue a statement on the near-brawl and both Pimblett and Topuria will remain on the main card for UFC London. Both lightweights could be on a collision course if both continue their recent winning ways.

    What is your reaction to this Paddy Pimblett/Ilia Topuria altercation?

  • Ilia Topuria vs. Jai Herbert Added To March 19 UFC London Card

    A lightweight scrap between Ilia Topuria and Jai Herbert has reportedly been added to the UFC’s return to London on March 19.

    In one of many matchups featuring British fighters, Herbert (11-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) will have a huge opportunity in front of a home crowd when he welcomes Topuria (11-0 MMA, 3-0 UFC) to 155 pounds inside the O2 Arena. The bout was first reported by Eurosport’s Gonzalo Campos.

    Topuria initially rose up the featherweight ladder with a trio of impressive victories on MMA’s biggest stage. After arriving with a unanimous decision win against Youssef Zalal and a knockout of Damon Jackson, the Georgian established himself as one of the promotion’s hottest prospects with a memorable KO of veteran grappler Ryan Hall at UFC 264 last July.

    Having moved inches away from a place in the featherweight rankings, “El Matador” was set to have his chance to enter the top 15 last month against Movsar Evloev, the current #13 contender. After the Russian withdrew, Charles Jordain stepped in, only for Topuria to be forced out days later. He’ll hope to return to regular activity in the coming months, starting with a win on his lightweight debut in England’s capital.

    In the way of the 25-year-old making an impression at 155 pounds will be Herbert, a former lightweight champion in the renowned Cage Warriors promotion. While the Wolverhampton native fell to consecutive losses in his first two UFC outings, he was faced with the tough challenges of Renato Moicano and veteran Francisco Trinaldo.

    Having entered the win column in the UFC for the first time last October, a triumph that came in the form of a first-round TKO victory over Khama Worthy, Herbert will hope to continue his momentum by adding the first blemish to Topuria’s record in front of a home crowd.

    Herbert initially appeared set to meet Mike Davis on the March 19 card. However, with the 29-year-old’s reluctance to fight overseas, “The Black Country Banger” was left searching for a new foe, one that’s come in the form of an unbeaten divisional newcomer.

    With Herbert’s place on the card set, he’ll join fellow Brits like Tom Aspinall, Arnold Allen, Paddy Pimblett, Paul Craig, and Molly McCann in London, as well as prominent international fighters like Dan Hooker, Gunnar Nelson, and Nikita Krylov.

    Listed below are the fights currently expected to go down on March 19 in London, England:

    Alexander Volkov vs. Tom Aspinall (heavyweight main event)

    Dan Hooker vs. Arnold Allen (featherweight)

    Paul Craig vs. Nikita Krylov (light heavyweight)

    Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Sergei Pavlovich (heavyweight)

    Jack Shore vs. Timur Valiev (bantamweight)

    Paddy Pimblett vs. Kazula Vargas (lightweight)

    Gunnar Nelson vs. Claudio Silva (welterweight)

    Nathanial Wood vs. Liudvik Sholinian (bantamweight)

    Ilia Topuria vs. Jai Herbert (lightweight)

    Makwan Amirkhani vs. Mike Grundy (featherweight)

    Molly McCann vs. Luana Carolina (women’s flyweight)

    Cody Durden vs. Muhammad Mokaev (flyweight)

    Cory McKenna vs. Elise Reed (women’s strawweight)

    Who do you think will have their hand raised at UFC London, Ilia Topuria or Jai Herbert?

  • Evloev vs. Topuria Scrapped From UFC 270, Topuria Calls Out Ige

    The battle of two undefeated featherweights Movsar Evloev and Ilia Topuria has been canceled after Evloev was forced to withdraw from the bout due to a positive COVID-19 test.

    Soon after news of Evloev’s withdrawal became known, Topuria was immediately hot on the trail in pursuit of a replacement.

    “Bad news! @MovsarUFC is out. We already knew that this was gonna happen. @Dynamitedan808, are you up for a fight? Let me know ASAP and if you are down, hope to see you January 22. Let’s go!”

    Dan Ige is currently ranked #9 in the division while Topuria is unranked, so the callout certainly makes sense for Topuria, who is coming off a vicious KO win over Ryan Hall at UFC 264.

    The 24-year-old was ranked 15th at featherweight not too long ago and is 3-0 in the UFC. He made his debut on short notice back on Fight Island in October of 2020 as he beat Youssef Zalal by decision. In his next fight, he scored another highlight-reel vicious KO over Damon Jackson last December.

    Movsar Evloev (15-0) last fought back at UFC 263 as he beat Hakeem Dawdou by decision it was his fifth fight inside the Octagon. The 27-year-old gas beat Nik Lentz by split decision, Mike Grundy, Enrique Barzola, and Seung Woo Choi, all by decision in the UFC. He’s currently the 13th-ranked featherweight and is the former M-1 bantamweight champion.

    There is no word on if Topuria will remain on the card as he wishes or if this fight will be rescheduled.

    With this cancellation the updated UFC 270 lineup is as follows:

    • UFC Heavyweight Championship Bout: Francis Ngannou (c) vs. Ciryl Gane
    • UFC Flyweight Championship Bout: Brandon Moreno (c) vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
    • Derek Brunson vs. Jared Cannonier
    • Greg Hardy vs. Aleksi Oleinik
    • Wellington Turman vs. Rodolfo Vieira
    • Michel Pereira vs. Andre Fialho
    • Poliana Botelho vs. Ji Yeon Kim
    • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Cody Stamann
    • Trevin Giles vs. Michael Morales
    • Matt Frevola vs. Genaro Valdez
    • Raoni Barcelos vs. Victor Henry
    • Kay Hansen vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
    • Tony Gravely vs. Saimon Oliveira