Paddy
Pimblett has taken his rivalry with Ilia
Topuria in the
Ultimate Fighting Championship to a new level.
Pimblett (24-4) recently claimed to have bought the stool that
Topuria (17-1) used in his corner during his loss to Justin
Gaethje at
UFC Freedom 250.
Advertisement
Paddy Pimblett turns his Ilia Topuria rivalry into a
headline-making UFC moment
The stool holds significant meaning given what happened in the
fight. Topuria was a massive favorite when he put his lightweight
title on the line against interim champion Gaethje at the White
House. “El Matador” had even celebrated the day before the fight,
as he’s done ahead of previous bouts as well.
However, Gaethje put on a brutal beatdown on Topuria in the third
and fourth rounds, forcing his corner to stop the bout at the end
of the penultimate frame. While it is unlikely that Topuria wanted
the fight to end in a corner stoppage, Pimblett repeatedly claimed
that the Georgian-Spaniard quit on the stool.
Pimblett now claims to have acquired said stool, as he revealed on
Instagram with a post captioned, “Collector’s item.”
Notably, Pimblett went all five rounds with Gaethje earlier this
year, and while he lost on the judges’ scorecards, many commended
his effort and fighting spirit.
Pimblett’s long-standing rivalry with Topuria was sparked by the
Englishman’s comments about the former champ’s home country of
Georgia. Pimblett even threw a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria
during a run-in at a fighter hotel in London in 2022.
However, a Topuria fan has now taken to social media to reveal that
she was the one who purchased the stool, refuting Pimblett’s
claim.
Paddy Pimblett did NOT actually buy Ilia
Topuria’s UFC White House corner stool…The real buyer has now come forward and called out Paddy for lying
👀(via mma_dbm/IG) https://t.co/Q3he34KYRU pic.twitter.com/xN5xSNDzQb
— Championship Rounds (@ChampRDS)
July 21, 2026