Paddy Pimblett has a plan if he and Ilia Topuria ever end up behind the same podium again. According to both Sherdog and Bloody Elbow, Pimblett intends to bring a bottle from their 2022 clash to any future press conference the two share, a deliberate bit of trolling aimed squarely at getting under Topuria's skin.

The two have history, and Pimblett clearly has not let it go. He has also been taking credit for Topuria's rise up the lightweight ladder, according to MMA Mania, framing himself as part of the story behind Topuria's push toward the title.

Right now the two men are on very different trajectories. Topuria sits at number one in the UFC lightweight rankings, but his last outing did not go his way. He lost to Justin Gaethje by knockout in the fourth round on June 14, 2026. Our Elo model still rates him highly at 1599 across six tracked bouts, reflecting a résumé that still carries plenty of weight despite the setback.

Pimblett, ranked fifth at lightweight, is coming off a much cleaner night. He finished Benoit Saint Denis with a D'Arce choke just 52 seconds into the first round on July 11, 2026. His Elo number sits at 1565 over six bouts, trailing Topuria's mark but not by much.

There is no fight between them currently booked. But with Topuria looking to answer his loss to Gaethje and Pimblett sitting just below him in the rankings, a shared stage is not hard to imagine down the line. If it happens, Pimblett is already signaling he plans to show up with a prop and a grudge, not just a game plan.