Ilia Topuria further heats up the fight with Paddy Pimblett: "I'll be able to choose how to finish him... put my balls on his forehead."

The face-to-face between Ilia Topuria and Paddy Pimblett after the Spanish-Georgian fighter's victory over Charles Oliveira, to become a double UFC champion by adding the 155-pound belt to the featherweight belt, has left a possible confrontation between El Matador and The Baddy as one of the most anticipated fights in the company .

Since the two exchanged a few words, and even shoves, in the cage in Las Vegas, the exchange of statements making clear the mutual hatred they feel has been continuous. The latest to add fuel to the fire was, in an interview with TMZ Sports , the brand-new champion: "I think every fan in the world wants to see that fight. And at the same time, I have to be honest, I think it's one of the easiest fights I could have in the lightweight division ."

"Because, I don't know, I can do whatever I want with him, really. It's a very exciting fight for the fans. I'm going to really enjoy the whole process. And at the same time, it's a fight where I'm going to be able to shine once again," Topuria added, adding: "I promise I'll be able to choose how I want to finish him ."

Asked about his prediction for the fight and whether he would finish the Englishman in the first round, El Matador didn't hesitate: "That's for sure. He's not going to stay there with me for more than a round." "It would be great to submit him on the ground with a triangle choke... like I told him, to put my balls on his forehead," the Spaniard added.

The two-time UFC champion, the company's tenth fighter to achieve this feat, also praised Islam Makhachev's decision not to fight him and move up in weight class : "I think he made a great decision. If the UFC had offered him a fight against Justin Gaethje or another contender in the division, I think he would have stayed at 155."

“With me moving up, he was like, ‘I don’t have to take this risk, I’m going to go up to 170, I’m going to try to get another belt. ’ And that’s all because he knows I’m dangerous. He knows I’m going to put him to sleep. Even Khabib [Nurmagomedov]. The only reason they don’t want me to fight him is because they know I’m going to beat him, ” Topuria said, revealing his ideal scenario: “I would love to see Islam get the [welterweight] title and for the UFC to let me move up to 170 and get the third belt .”