Paddy Pimblett on Arman Tsarukyan's Victory: I'd Still Smash His Head In

Even Paddy Pimblett was impressed by Arman Tsarukyan's weekend victory, but not overly so.

On Saturday, Tsarukyan delivered one of the best performances of his career, knocking out Mauricio Rufi in the co-main event of UFC 331 in Los Angeles. The win was so impressive that even Tsarukyan's long-time critic, Paddy Pimblett, had to commend his performance.

Pimblett and Tsarukyan have been engaged in a quiet rivalry for years, primarily centered around the lightweight title picture. So, naturally, Pimblett's compliments didn't last long.

“I thought he looked pretty poor up until the elbow,” Pimblett stated. “His eye was already busted up. I wish he hadn’t landed that shot, just to see how the second and third rounds would have played out. He was just thinking about wrestling, but when they separated 15 seconds before the end, Rufi should have tried to press him. Rufi stayed against the cage.”

“That was a statement. I’d still smash his head in. I think it showed holes in his game. His wrestling isn’t as good as he thinks it is. His eye was smashed up from one straight right. I’d like to see how that fight would have continued because he couldn’t take Rufi down, and Rufi hasn’t shown good takedown defense in the last few years.”

“Everyone talks about Arman having the best wrestling in the UFC, and he showed there that it’s not the case at all. I didn’t expect him to knock him out at all. Even if it was in a clinch with a short elbow.”

“With all the stuff coming out now with Ilia Topuria and Justin Gaethje, I wouldn’t be surprised if they fight and have a rematch. Ilia is trying to say he had stuff in his gloves, which is definitely not true. The commission watches you get your hands wrapped. I think Ilia is just a sore loser. He’s acting like a little bitch.”