Michael Bisping Pours Cold Water on Team Khabib’s Attempts to Inject Paddy Pimblett Into Title Contention as Ilia Topuria Gets Support

Paddy Pimblett put on an absolute clinic at UFC 314, handing Michael Chandler a one-sided beatdown that left fans buzzing. Every elbow he landed dug deeper into Chandler’s face, with little hope for a comeback. The Brit’s performance had everyone talking, showering him with praise from all sides. But it’s not just the fans that are impressed. Team Khabib’s head coach, Javier Mendes, threw his weight behind the Liverpudlian’s title chances on the Javier and Mo Show. He said, “I mean, what he’s done already, his credentials, his winning record in the UFC, his hype, and what he can do, how he can motivate people. If they give him the next title shot, he deserves it.”

For the unversed, the Brit is now cruising on a seven-fight win streak in the UFC, remains undefeated, and currently holds the # 8 spot in the lightweight rankings. That’s why the AKA head honcho believes that Pimblett isn’t far off from the kind of position where others have received surprise title shots before. But former middleweight champ Michael Bisping has a different idea. While he gets the hype around fellow countryman, he feels a superfight between Islam Makhachev and featherweight champ Ilia Topuria during International Fight Week would make more sense for the champion’s next outing.

‘The Count’ in his YouTube video said, “Fighting for a belt at that stage isn’t unheard of. Conor McGregor, of course, legendary career in the UFC….Regardless. Six fights it took him to fight for the featherweight championship of the world. Then he knocks out Jose Aldo in 13 seconds. So, I understand why Islam’s coach is saying that. Now, Khabib Nurmagomedov doesn’t want Islam to fight Ilia. He says that if he fights Ilia, he was a 145er. He beats Ilia, and then Ilia loses at 155, and that kinda downplays the achievement of beating Ilia Topuira.”

He added, “Which I kind of get and which I kind of understand. And, of course, he has done that twice before. He fought Volkanovski twice in a row. The first time was close, the second time knocked him out. And the narrative is like, ‘Oh, he’s beating only smaller guys.’ He took on Renato Moicano on a few hours’ notice. Maybe 12, whatever it was, I forget now. I’ve had a little tequila and pineapple. So, if all those facts and figures and stats don’t add up. Shut up!

Bisping further added, “But yeah, he took on Moicano on very, very short notice and beat him as well. So, that’s what they are afraid of, he only wants the biggest fights. When I say afraid, that’s why they are hesitant to take this fight. I think the fight to make is Ilia Topuria. I think that’s a huge fight, one of the biggest fights that the UFC can pull off right now. And, I’m still hopeful that this fight will be the headliner of International Fight Week.”

Bisping definitely makes a solid point. He even drew a pretty smart comparison between Pimblett and McGregor, pointing out that the Englishman is in a similar spot McGregor was after he fought Dennis Siver. We all know how that story ended. ‘The Notorious’ went on to beat Siver convincingly, then dispatched Chad Mendes next at UFC 189 to win the interim gold, and then slept Jose Aldo in 13 seconds to unify the gold at UFC 194.

But the lightweight division in 2025 isn’t the same as featherweight was back in 2014. The Englishman has become a star, no doubt, but he still needs a top 5 win. The Brit also understands that the fellow Englishman seems to be self-aware, and that’s probably why Pimblett didn’t go straight for Makhachev’s name in his post-fight callout.

Now, coming to Bisping’s desire to see the Ilia Topuria fight, it’s definitely the more exciting option right now. But it’s also complicated. Topuria has been training for Makhachev and Charles Oliveira, but nothing has been finalized so far. It’s not the ideal outcome for fans, but recent Spanish media leaks suggest ‘La Leyenda’ could be facing Oliveira next. And just to shake things up even more, the Brazilian responded to Pimblett’s callout, making the already tangled lightweight picture even more interesting.

Charles Oliveira responds to Paddy Pimblett’s UFC 314 callout

Charles Oliveira finds himself in a bit of a tricky spot right now. The Brazilian is being called out from every direction. Ilia Topuria has been taking shots, and now Paddy Pimblett has added his name to the list after UFC 314. But Oliveira’s made one thing very clear. He’s only interested in a title fight. That stance has already put water on the much-hyped potential matchup with Topuria. And now, after Paddy’s callout, ‘Do Bronx’ has responded once again, doubling down on the fact that he wants to move at his own pace. He’s not rushing into anything that doesn’t align with his goals. And if a fight with Pimblett isn’t on the table, then why not Topuria instead?

Oliveira, during an interview with Portal do Vale Tudo, said, “I’m looking for the title. I don’t run away from anyone, I never have. I’m not going to run away now.” Oliveira said. “I’m ready to fight any of these guys. I respect them all, but I’m going to set my own pace and my own game. So why not? If it’s for the title, why not fight Topuria? I’m looking for the title. I don’t want to fight another fight just to wait for the title, no. That doesn’t interest me, I want to fight for the title…I don’t even think about [Pimblett]. I’m thinking about a title, so I can’t be thinking about the guys who are below me.”

What do you think about he current lightweight scenario? Will Paddy Pimblett get the title shot? Or will Ilia Topuria get his wish? Please comment below.

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