Paddy Pimblett is getting ready to fight UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria in early 2026. It looks like the long-time enemies may finally settle their differences, with Topuria vs. Pimblett perhaps headlining the first-ever UFC program on Paramount+ in January. In 2022, they got into a fight before a UFC event in London, and their hatred for each other has only increased since then. Pimblett told Marca that "he tried to jump me" during the altercation. "When I was alone and he was with ten other people, he tried to hurt me. He got famous because of me. He believes he is too good to fight me. "You wouldn't be where you are now without me." It didn't make sense to put Topuria and Pimblett together because Topuria was fighting at featherweight and Pimblett was fighting at lightweight. That all changed when Topuria gave up his 145-pound belt and said he would go up to lightweight. In June, he beat Charles Oliveira to win the 155-pound title. Pimblett thinks he should have already had his chance to fight Topuria as soon as he moved up to a new division. Now, though, the fight is even more important because the UFC title is on the line. Pimblett added, "I should be the one to welcome him when he moves up to lightweight." "I should have been the first person he fought at lightweight." But it never happened, and he got a title shot as a gift. Pimblett and Topuria have a deeper rivalry when it comes to their love of soccer, but "The Baddy" isn't so convinced their fandom is the same. Topuria was honored during a Real Madrid game after winning his first UFC title. He has said that he would like to have a fight at the famous Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid one day. But Pimblett doesn't believe that Topuria is really that committed to the soccer team, especially because he has ties to both Spain and Georgia. Pimblett added, "To be honest, Topuria isn't Spanish." "Let's get that out of the way right away." He is from Germany. He pretends to be from Georgia and Spain to attract more fans, even though he was born in Germany. He is from Germany. Topuria was born in Germany to Georgian parents who were refugees. When he was still a child, his family relocated back to Georgia. A few years later, Topuria's family moved again, this time to Spain, and it has been his home ever since. Pimblett still doesn't believe it. He thinks Topuria is manipulating fans from Georgia and Spain to make himself more popular in the sport. Pimblett stated, "He just jumped on the coattails to get more fans and followers." "He's not real. He's not real, just like half of his fans. Half of his Instagram followers are fake, and that's been verified. He is the most false person ever. I can't stand him anymore. He's simply a copycat of Conor McGregor. It looks like Pimblett is going to get his chance to settle matters with Topuria in the octagon, judging by his last onslaught.