Paddy Pimblett: "Topuria will never be the same, his ego is broken"

English UFC fighter Paddy Pimblett shared a sharp opinion on former champion Ilia Topuria's defeat against Justin Gaethje.

Pimblett stated that Topuria has faced a serious psychological test for the first time in his career. Until now, he had always pressured his opponents and controlled the fights in the octagon.

“Until Ilia lost to Justin, he never had to rebuild himself. Topuria was always the 'hammer' and never felt what it was like to be the 'nail',” Pimblett said.

The English fighter noted that in his own experience, he realized it is possible to return even stronger after a heavy defeat. However, he believes this process will be much more difficult for Topuria.

“After the fight with Gaethje, I realized I could come back stronger and better than before. But I think Ilia will never return to his previous state. Because his ego is broken,” he added.

Pimblett also recalled that Topuria's self-confidence was excessively high.

“If you remember, Topuria changed his social media record long before the fight,” MMA Fighting quoted Pimblett.

As a reminder, the clash between Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje took place as part of a UFC event organized at the White House. The American fighter won by early stoppage.