Paddy Pimblett certainly made his presence known with a very brief appearance at UFC 317.
The popular British fighter was among the spectators witnessing the crowning of a new lightweight champion on Saturday evening.
From a prime spot in the front row at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Pimblett watched Ilia Topuria deliver a stunning first-round knockout victory over Charles Oliveira.
Shortly after the fight concluded, ‘The Baddy’ entered the Octagon for an intense face-off with his long-standing UFC adversary.
Security Breaks Up Heated UFC 317 Staredown
While giving Topuria credit for his impressive victory, Pimblett made sure to state that his own `granite chin` could never be cracked.
The rivals exchanged heated words for a brief period before the situation appeared to escalate.
Topuria then shoved Pimblett, causing security personnel to quickly intervene and prevent a potential physical confrontation.
Fortunately, neither man chose to escalate the situation further, and an all-out brawl was narrowly averted.
Dana White`s Reaction to the Post-Fight Confrontation
UFC CEO Dana White expressed dissatisfaction regarding Pimblett`s presence in the Octagon following the UFC 317 main event.
During his post-fight press conference, the UFC head was questioned about the potential future matchup between the two lightweight fighters.
White responded by saying, “I don’t know who the hell let him in there.”
He added, “That should’ve never happened, let’s start there.”
And concluded, “I was already back in my room or that would’ve never happened.”
Benedict Kingsley