UFC London: Paddy Pimblett in hotel bust-up with Ilia Topuria

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

UFC London fighters Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria almost came to blows on Tuesday ahead of their respective bouts at the O2 Arena on Saturday.

Liverpool’s Pimblett is scheduled to face Rodrigo Vargas in a lightweight bout at UFC London, while Topuria is also in action at 155lbs as he takes on Wolverhampton’s Jai Herbert.

Pimblett and Topuria traded words on Twitter last year, with the latter taking offence to comments made by Pimblett about Topuria’s home country of Georgia.

Topuria, 25, warned Pimblett about what might happen if the pair were to meet in person, and things indeed became heated at the fighter hotel in London on Tuesday.

In a video posted by Topuria on his Twitter page, the Georgian and his team can be seen approaching Pimblett, who is standing behind a desk.

Pimblett, 27, proceeds to throw a bottle of hand sanitiser at the head of Topuria, who throws a punch in response – seemingly failing to land on the Liverpudlian.

The pair are then separated but continued to trade insults, with Topuria or a member of his team heard shouting, “F*** you, b***h,” at Pimblett repeatedly.

“I warned you! This is what happens when you disrespect me and my country!” Topuria wrote on Twitter afterwards.

“You saw me and wanted to greet me because you s*** your pants… and you should thank my team because [if] it wasn’t for them separating me, I would have taken your head off.”

Pimblett replied: “Imagine trying to jump someone on their own with 5 of your boys & you don’t land a single shot & get a bottle of hand sanitizer bounced off your head you little [clown].

“Don’t try to act big like you did something when you [s***] your pants pretending ur boys was holding u back, p***y.”

Pimblett (17-3) was lightweight champion in English promotion Cage Warriors before joining the UFC, where he enjoyed a successful debut in September. The Liverpudlian knocked out Luigi Vendramini in the first round.

Topuria (11-0), meanwhile, is 3-0 in the UFC and last fought in July, when he stopped Ryan Hall in the first round.