The visceral hatred between Topuria and Pimblett is a gold mine for the UFC (and everyone knows it)

Ilia Topuria's (17-0-0) stunning victory over Charles Olivera (35-11-0) at UFC 317 has boosted the Spanish-Georgian fighter's cachet . The devastating KO over the Brazilian legend meant he won the double belt (featherweight and lightweight) and translated into a new explosion of popularity and admiration . So much so that, after 602 days and to the chagrin of Islam Makhachev , El Matador became the number one pound-for-pound fighter in the company.

Furthermore, this week, Topuria also surpassed 10 million followers on Instagram, surpassing Makhachev . A minor statistic, but one that serves to gauge the impact of his latest victory and why he's already a UFC superstar. At 28 years old, in the midst of his sporting heyday and after defeating three legends of the company in Volkanovski, Holloway, and Oliveira , the question is who the two-time champion's next opponent will be and whether they'll be able to stop him.

The fight against Makhachev will happen one day, just as the historic clash between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor did. The UFC is a business, and the clash could explode revenue figures . At the time, McGregor-Khabib was the UFC's most lucrative event (highest PPV sales in history and second-highest box office gross).

Do Topuria and Pimblett hate each other?

But what made it so famous and anticipated ? Besides the sporting, cultural, and even religious clash, what heightened the hype was that the two fighters actually had a very bad relationship. That fight wasn't just a sporting duel with a belt and millions at stake. It was personal, a clash that oozed visceral hatred. So much so that the fight ended in a battle, record-breaking fines , and temporary suspensions for both fighters.

In fact, the Nevada State Athletic Commission deemed the level of provocation and violence " unprecedented." In this sense, Topuria maintains a strong rivalry with his potential next opponent, Paddy Pimblett (23-3-0). The Briton is not the number one contender , a place that belongs to Armenian Arman Tsarukyan, but he has known how to play his cards inside and... especially outside the octagon.

At the end of the last fight, Pimblett entered the cage to go one-on-one with Topuria. Asked about his next bout, Topuria stated, "I don't know. We've got a bunch of losers here, a blonde I don't like, another whose back hurts when he has to fight. Whoever they put in front of me, we'll fight." In this sense, with the adjective "blonde," he was referring specifically to fighter Paddy Pimblett. The fighter let it slip to MARCA that he would like to return to the cage before 2026.

What Pimblett knows

After an intense confrontation involving provocations and threats, Topuria pushed Pimblett hard , causing several people present to separate them, risking further escalation. "I'm going to do the same to you, I'm going to rip your head off," he told Pimblett. The Briton asserted that Ilia "knows he can't knock me out."

But even more interesting was what the Liverpool native revealed on ESPN . "We have our history. You don't even need to sell the fight. It sells itself. Two guys who hate each other, who really hate each other. We haven't seen this since Khabib and McGregor. I want to disfigure his face ," Pimblett declared. The feud between Topuria and Pimblett is approaching five years old, but the weight difference made a fight impossible... until now.

In 2021, Pimblett posted an offensive tweet about Topuria's home country of Georgia, referencing the Russia-Georgia war and claiming that Georgians "surrendered like little mice." Topuria defended his roots , called him "trash," and vowed revenge. A year later, they met at the same hotel during a UFC event in London, and Topuria went after Pimblett, including a punch exchange , although they were eventually separated.

Pimblett barely cracked the top 10 at lightweight. A fight against Gaethje, Tsarukyan , or even a rematch with Holloway at lightweight would likely be tougher for Topuria, but the insane rivalry he's developed with Pimblett makes the matchup a focal point that could pay off handsomely for the UFC, as well as both fighters.