Following Ilia Topuria`s swift victory over Charles Oliveira to claim the lightweight title at UFC 317 in Las Vegas, Paddy Pimblett entered the cage for a face-off with the new champion. However, MMA icon Demetrious Johnson voiced his disapproval of this seemingly orchestrated encounter and the potential matchup it suggests.
Despite UFC CEO Dana White stating the face-off was unplanned and not a confirmation of Pimblett as the next challenger, Johnson feels prioritizing Pimblett over the highly-ranked number one contender, Arman Tsarukyan, goes against the principle of meritocracy within the sport.
“It needs to be him, Arman Tsarukyan,” Johnson stated on his YouTube channel. “This is why I say [UFC] it’s a reality TV show. It`s like, obviously Arman Tsarukyan is the number one contender. He’s ranked number one.”
Tsarukyan recently secured a split decision win over Charles Oliveira in April 2024. He was previously set to fight Islam Makhachev for the title in January but withdrew hours before weigh-ins due to health issues. Although he served as the backup fighter at UFC 317 and successfully made weight, White did not confirm him as next in line for a title shot.
Johnson commented, “Whatever you guys wanna go by the rankings, but they`re force in this fight with Paddy Pimblett versus Ilia Topuria just because it`s probably gonna sell more. But I think the rightful person who should be getting the next title shot at lightweight is Arman Tsarukyan.”
Johnson mentioned that he had predicted Topuria would defeat Oliveira based on their fighting styles. He expressed admiration for Topuria securing his second belt and achieving his third consecutive finish against a prominent opponent, having stopped “do Bronx” after impressive wins over former champions Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway.
While acknowledging Topuria`s bright future, Johnson speculated that his fighting career might not be as extensive as those of his recent opponents.
“Ilia is going to be a guy that fights who fights three or four more times and retires,” Johnson predicted.
