While many people were impressed with Paddy Pimblett’s performance at UFC 314, former featherweight champion Ilia Topuria was not one of them.
Pimblett blasted his way through former Bellator champion Michael Chandler in the evening’s co-main event, securing a third-round TKO over ‘Iron’ to extend his unbeaten streak inside the Octagon to seven. Subsequently, ‘The Baddy’ would find himself with a top-10 ranking for the first time in his career, overtaking the No. 8 spot.
Potentially one win away from his first shot at UFC gold, Pimblett’s star power grew exponentially overnight, but some suggest the Liverpudlian still hasn’t been tested against an elite opponent.
El Matador’ (or whatever he calls himself now) was willing to give Pimblett some credit for his performance in Miami, but quickly pulled back on his praise, calling Chandler an “average-level” fighter who’s never beaten anyone of not inside the Octagon.
“He did a great job,” Topuria said of Pimblett on The Joe Rogan Experience. “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.”
Topuria didn’t compete at UFC 314, but his presence was felt as he officially vacated the featherweight title, later won that night via a brilliant performance from ex-titleholder Alexander Volkanovski in the evening’s headliner.
Michael Chandler’s style of fighting is not for ilia topuria
As for Chandler, ‘El Matador’ recognizes that ‘Iron’ has a fan-friendly style of fighting that makes him an undeniable favorite among viewers, but it’s nothing more than style over substance in Topuria’s eyes.
“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.’”
