Paddy Pimblett was baffled by Charles Oliveira’s approach against Ilia Topuria at UFC 317.
Oliveira (35-11 MMA, 23-11 UFC) was knocked out in Round 1 by Topuria (17-0 MMA, 9-0 UFC) in their vacant lightweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Considering Topuria’s power, Pimblett (23-3 MMA, 7-0 UFC) expected a more cautious approach from Oliveira.
“I thought if Charles would get him to the later rounds, it might have been a bit different,” Pimblett said on the “Verse Us” podcast. “I really like Charles, but what the f*ck was that game plan, lad? Stand in front of him and get punched in the face? The first 20 seconds, he did a little bit, teeped him, leg kicked him. I was thinking, you know we could be in for a tough night for Topuria. Then Charles got it once and just started swinging with him. But when he was walking out I did go turn to Graham (Boylan) and say he looks nervous. When Ilia walked out, he was just smiling.
“I was like that’s going to play a part in this. I’d love to know what their game plan was because that was half embarrassing. Where did the cut come from? Topuria ended up on top of him, I was like, ‘Oh, Oliveira’s cut.’ Obviously that would have been in his eye a little bit, easier to get it, but still. What are you doing just standing in the middle and swinging punches with him when he’s a top-class boxer, and he’s got power? It blew my mind how stupid he could be after that was his 47th pro fight, and he was going in there like an amateur.”
Pimblett faced off with Topuria in the octagon immediately after UFC 317 and is adamant that his size would be a major factor in their fight.
“That’s the thing: He’s got loads of damage,” Pimblett said of Oliveira. “I’ve never had a fight like that. I want to have a war with someone, but I’ve never had one. I’ve never took a sustained amount of damage in my life. He wouldn’t knock me out. He could hit me with his best punch, and I’d laugh in his face.
“I’ve said this before in several interviews: People just think he’d steamroll me, but it’s different when there’s that much size difference. People think I’m not good enough to go against him but, lad, he’s a midget. That’s what I said to him: ‘I will finish you, little boy.’ He’s that much shorter than me. I’m so much wider than him, and that plays a part. That’s why people cut weight.”
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