Michael Bisping is betting the house that Topuria vs. Pimblett will headline the UFC’s MSG card later this year.
Following Topuria’s sensational opening-round knockout of Charles Oliveira at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Pimblett stepped inside the Octagon and engaged in a fiery faceoff with the newly minted lightweight world champion.
The incident immediately had fans salivating over the possibility of seeing the two top stars square off on MMA’s biggest stage.
And while Dana White was pretty pissed about their post-fight encounter inside the Octagon, ‘The Count’ believes with near certainty that Topuria vs. Pimblett will not only clash in 2025, but they’ll do so inside the world’s most famous arena.
“Can Paddy take those kinds of shots? I don’t know,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel. “Can Paddy take him down? I don’t know. Can Paddy hang on the ground? Can Paddy submit him? I don’t know about that either. But guess what—all those questions will be answered when they fight at Madison Square Garden. You can bet your bottom dollar on it… I can 99.999% say Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria will be fighting at Madison Square Garden.”
If Paddy Pimblett wants a crack at the UFC’s new lightweight champion, he may have to go through ‘The Highlight’ first
Topuria vs. Pimblett may very well go down later this year, but according to reigning middleweight king Dricus Du Plessis, ‘The Baddy’ will have to go through Justin Gaethje first.
During a recent interview, ‘DDP’ claimed that Pimblett vs. ‘The Highlight’ would co-main event UFC 319 — the card currently scheduled to feature Du Plessis defending his 185-pound crown against undefeated Chechen monster Khamzat Chimaev.
The pairing of Pimblett and Gaethje would certainly make a lot of sense, but if you believe Bisping, the UFC is ready to capitalize on UFC 317’s most viral moment.
