In November, the lightweight champion announced he was taking a step back from competition to deal with personal matters, prompting the UFC to create an interim title for Gaethje and Pimblett to fight over in the main event of UFC 324 on Jan. 24. The bout announcement was met with skepticism from some fans, who questioned both the necessity of an interim belt and the absence of No. 1 contender Arman Tsarukyan, but Topuria told ESPN Deportes he has no issue with the UFC finding a way to move on without him.
“Very good, very happy, the truth is that I had the conversation previously with the UFC, I knew what was happening,” Topuria said (Spanish translation via ESPN Deportes). “We had some discussions. Because of my personal situation, they knew I couldn’t compete in January; therefore, all the things around a personal situation like I am going through, and in the end, they decided to make the fight for the interim title between Paddy Pimblett and Justin Gaethje.
“To me, it seems very well-deserved, for both is a pretty valid title, quite well-deserved, is the closest the two of them will be of holding a world championship. Congratulations to both of you, but at the end of the day, they will have to deal with the real deal.”
Gaethje previously won an interim title when he defeated Tony Ferguson via knockout in May 2020, but failed to unify the titles when he lost to Khabib Nurmagomedov the following October. Since then, Gaethje has gone 4-2, including a win over Rafael Fiziev in his most recent outing.
Pimblett’s contender case includes nine straight wins, including a perfect 7-0 mark in the UFC. Despite a close call on the cards against Jared Gordon and his past three victories coming against slumping veterans Michael Chandler, King Green, and Ferguson, the Englishman’s popularity and credentials have continued to grow.
The UFC 324 main event winner is expected to challenge Topuria next, but “El Matador” has heard Pimblett has a better chance of capitalizing on the opportunity.
“Really, if Justin wins, the UFC has different plans that I can’t talk about at this moment,” Topuria said. “But well, if I were offered to fight Justin at the White House, [it would] be something I would be very excited about. I don’t know how capable he will be of ruining the plans of the UFC and Paddy Pimblett’s plans. It’s going to be quite difficult. Not impossible, so I wish him all the luck
“But I don’t know if you will be so lucky beating Paddy Pimblett, because then you will have to be locked in an octagon with me, and I don’t know if that’s being very lucky or not.”
Topuria has a longstanding feud with Pimblett, including confrontations both inside and outside the octagon, and while that’s a beef he still wants to see settled, he thinks Pimblett is in for a tough outing against Gaethje.
“The truth is that it is always very difficult making predictions in such combats, and I don’t know anymore, it’s a very difficult fight,” Topuria said. “Paddy is also not a person who has many skills to take someone on the ground very easily. Justin is well-known because of his heavy hand, has heavy kicks also, does a lot of damage with the calf kicks, his right hand. We have seen Paddy take a lot of hits in their previous combats, so that is a very exciting fight for all fans.”
Topuria previously stated he expects to be out for at least the first quarter of the year, but gave no indication as to when he actually expects to fight again. Right now, his priority is on sorting out his family life while Gaethje and Pimblett battle in the background.
“As I have communicated that I am going through personal problems, I do not have an exact date when everything will be fixed,” Topuria said. “I hope that as soon as possible, as soon as it is solved, I’ll be ready to go back in the octagon. I prioritize at this time the welfare of my family, of my children, of my own, so as soon as everything is solved, I will be back to the octagon and to give all the show that everyone deserves.”
Subscribe to my channel
