Morning Report: Paddy Pimblett predicts he’d beat Ilia Topuria ‘as fast as McGregor beat Aldo’

Paddy Pimblett has ramped up his ambition to fight Ilia Topuria, suggesting he would dispatch the featherweight champion with devastating speed reminiscent of Conor McGregor's legendary 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo.

Pimblett, riding high after a stunning 52-second submission victory over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329, is positioning himself for a major opportunity in the lightweight title picture. With champion Justin Gaethje weighing contenders including Arman Tsarukyan and Topuria—the man Gaethje defeated at UFC's White House event to claim gold—Pimblett could find himself facing whichever fighter doesn't receive a title shot.

The two lightweights have harbored mutual dislike for years, even as Topuria rose through the featherweight ranks to claim that division's crown. Speaking to Kolos MMA, Pimblett expressed his eagerness to settle the score. "I'd love to fight Ilia Topuria," he said. "I'd send him back down to featherweight. I think me and Ilia Topuria would be a brilliant season of The Ultimate Fighter, because I'd get under his skin so much that when we come into the fight, I'd beat him just as fast as McGregor beat Aldo."

Pimblett also dismissed Topuria's recent claims that Gaethje loaded his gloves during their June meeting, calling the excuses unbecoming. "He's talking shit," Pimblett said. "He's making excuses when he lost fair and square."

While a Gaethje title shot remains Pimblett's first choice, he views a Topuria encounter as his preferred alternative. He's less enthusiastic about facing Tsarukyan, calling the knockout artist a spoiled prospect undeserving of respect. "Arman's just a little bitch and at some point I'll fight him and at some point I'll render him unconscious with a choke or a strike," Pimblett declared.