Ilia Topuria may look invincible, but he certainly doesn’t feel that way.
Each time ‘El Matador’ steps inside the Octagon, he looks like a real-life Superman. His win over Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 was no different.
But Topuria’s success is not the result of Kryptonian cells or some other metahuman power like in comic books.
Instead, it comes from hard work and dedication because deep down, Topuria knows that if he’s not giving everything he has in the gym, he will eventually fall inside the cage.
“I don’t feel invincible. Quite the contrary, I feel that I’m beatable, and that’s why I work so hard,” Topuria said during his post-fight interview. “I put so much dedication into it. The work is so well done that I feel there’s no doubt left. That’s why I celebrate things the night before, because I feel the victory is built and should be celebrated at the end of camp.”
Ilia Topuria wants Paddy Pimblett
Following his jaw-dropping knockout of ‘Do Bronx’ at UFC 317, Topuria has etched his name in the history books, becoming one of the few fighters to capture titles in two different divisions.
Now sitting as the undisputed king of the lightweight division, fighters are already lining up to be the first to best him inside the Octagon. Following Saturday’s pay-per-view event in Las Vegas, Topuria engaged in a heated faceoff with Paddy Pimblett, a fighter who has been on his sh*t list for the last few years.
Pimblett could very well be Topuria’s first challenger at lightweight, but the Liverpudlian may have to pass one final test before securing his first crack at UFC gold. According to a recent comment from 185-pound champ Dricus Du Plessis, Pimblett vs. Justin Gaethje is in the works for UFC 319 in August, with the winner likely moving on to face Topuria in late 2025 or early 2026.
With no official announcements thus far, Pimblett vs. Gaethje is nothing more than a rumor, but if the UFC is looking to book a No. 1 contender’s fight, ‘The Baddy’ vs. ‘The Highlight’ sounds pretty damn good to us.
