Following his win at UFC 296, English lightweight fighter Paddy Pimblett revealed his dislike for top-ranked featherweight contender Ilia Topuria and fellow lightweight Terrance McKinney, stemming from past altercations and constant social media mentions respectively.
Festivus might be done and dusted, but Paddy Pimblett’s got some bones to pick. He’s airing his grievances, and he’s not holding back. After his victory over Tony Ferguson at UFC 296, Pimblett, a well-known lightweight from England, didn’t shy away from naming the fighters he can’t stand. And guess who’s leading the pack? Ilia Topuria, the top-ranked featherweight contender.
Now, you might wonder, what’s the beef? It all started with a near-brawl at UFC London in March 2022. The two fighters were at the host hotel, and things got heated. The whole thing ended with Pimblett chucking a bottle of hand sanitizer at Topuria. That’s right, hand sanitizer. And that’s how Topuria got his new nickname.
“Probably hand sanitizer boy,” Pimblett said on the Happy Endings podcast. “He’s a sausage. He tried to throw a slap at me when I was on my own, and he was with about 12 of his mates. He tried to throw a slap at me, so I stepped back and threw a hand sanitizer bottle at his head. That’s why I call him hand sanitizer boy. I don’t even know his name. I just know him as hand sanitizer boy.”
Despite being in different weight classes, Topuria hasn’t backed down. He’s called for a fight against Pimblett multiple times. The fight never happened, but Topuria charged at Pimblett during a UFC press conference, forcing security to step in.
But Topuria isn’t the only one on Pimblett’s list. He’s also got a bone to pick with fellow lightweight Terrance McKinney. According to Pimblett, McKinney can’t stop talking about him. “That little mushroom that goes by the dinosaur name. Whatever his name is, that mushroom, he doesn’t stop talking about me. You can type a name in on someone’s [X account], and he’s got about f****** 700 tweets [about me]. Terrance McKinney, his nickname is ‘T-Wrecks,’ every interview he talks about me. No one knows you, you f****** bum.”
McKinney has definitely called out Pimblett numerous times, but there’s no telling if the UFC would book the fight. As much as those two fighters annoy Pimblett, he doesn’t seem all that bothered by the insults from Topuria, McKinney, or fans that take shots at him on social media. He had a rather spicy response ready for anybody who takes issue with him.
“Anyone that doesn’t like me can suck my d***,” Pimblett said, throwing up two middle fingers. “If you don’t like me, eat s***, lad. F*** off. If you don’t like me, f*** off, what are you here for?”
Pimblett admitted he does get drawn into responding to some of the online trolls that take aim at him, usually over his weight; many call him “unprofessional” because he packs on pounds when he’s not getting ready to compete. Over time, Pimblett said his manager and the people closest to him made a valid point that the critics taking shots at him are almost universally trying to get a rise out of him. Firing back on social media only gives them the attention they want.
“Like, what are you even giving them the time of day for?” Pimblett said. “They’re commenting that to you so you comment back. They’re winning by you commenting back, but I’m like, ‘They need to know!’”