Paddy Pimblett Says Ilia Topuria Will Never Recover After Justin Gaethje Made Him the Nail
Paddy Pimblett sat down for a candid conversation and didn’t hold back when breaking down what happened to Ilia Topuria. The Liverpool fighter believes the former featherweight champion is facing something he has never dealt with before, and it could change him forever.
Paddy pointed to the nature of Topuria’s loss to Justin Gaethje. He explained that Gaethje has a special way of fighting that forces opponents into a war they might not be ready for. “Yeah, that’s just Gaige to get you into that dogfight, drag you into it, you know what I mean?” Paddy said. “And Ilias never had that.”
For Paddy, the key issue is that Ilia Topuria has spent his entire career being the one in control. He has always been the aggressor, the finisher, the man dishing out damage. He has rarely, if ever, been forced to dig deep and come back from real adversity inside the octagon.
“Ilias never had to come back from adversity,” Paddy continued. “Ilias only ever being the hammer, he’s never been the nail.”
That distinction matters to Paddy. Being the hammer means you’re usually the one breaking your opponent. Being the nail means you’re the one taking heavy shots, getting hurt, and having to find a way to survive and fight back. According to Paddy, Topuria has almost no experience in that second role.
Paddy drew from his own experience fighting Justin Gaethje to explain why this could be so damaging for Topuria. He admitted that after his loss to Gaethje, he understood something important about himself. “That’s why after that fight with Justin that I had, I knew I could come back stronger and better ‘cause I’ve done it before,” he shared.
The difference, Paddy believes, is that Topuria has never been through that kind of mental and physical test. He has never had to pick himself up after being broken down in a fight. Now, for the first time, he has.
Paddy didn’t sound hopeful about Topuria’s future. He was direct when he gave his final assessment. “I don’t think Ilias Topuria ever comes back the same.”
The message was clear. In Paddy’s eyes, the version of Ilia Topuria that walked into the fight with Justin Gaethje may be gone for good. The unbeaten, dominant champion who finished almost everyone he faced has now tasted real adversity. And according to Paddy, that experience changes a fighter in ways that are hard to reverse.
Paddy’s breakdown wasn’t about taking cheap shots at Topuria. It came from a place of understanding what it feels like to lose to Gaethje and what it takes to come back from it. He knows the mental toll that kind of fight can take, especially on someone who has never been in that position before.
Whether Ilia Topuria can prove Paddy wrong and return stronger remains to be seen. But right now, Paddy Pimblett is convinced that the former champion has been changed by what happened inside the octagon against Justin Gaethje.
Do you agree with Paddy Pimblett that Ilia Topuria will never be the same after his loss to Justin Gaethje? Or do you think Topuria will use this defeat to come back even stronger? Share your thoughts in the comments below and let’s discuss what the future holds for the former champion.
