If Ilia Topuria is successful in his bid this weekend to become the latest member of the UFC’s two-division champion club, he says he is ideally positioned for a box office bonanza title defence against Paddy Pimblett.

The two fighters have been linked to one another for several years, stemming from a behind-the-scenes incident ahead of a UFC event in London at the height of Covid-enforced lockdown in which both briefly came to blows — with Pimblett adorning his rival with the nickname ‘hand sanitiser boy’ after he threw a container of the substance towards Topuria.

Now, several years later, the rivalry come become a significant money-spinner for both. Topuria battles the former champion Charles Oliveira in this weekend’s UFC 317 main event to determine a new 155-pound champion following Islam Makhachev’s decision to relinquish his crown ahead of his own attempt at becoming a champion in two divisions. Makhachev is linked to a November title bout with welterweight champion Jack Della Maddalena in New York City.

“That fight easily could be one of the biggest in the UFC history,” Topuria told reporters, including The Mac Life, at Wednesday’s pre-fight press conference in Las Vegas, as transcribed by MMA Fighting. “Listen, I don’t… [nothing is] personal in this game. It’s all professional.”

For his part, Pimblett has also talked up a potential bout with Topuria, and has confirmed he will be in attendance inside the T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night where he will be on hand to answer any potential in-cage callouts should Topuria be victorious.

That said, Topuria has his hands full with his first order of business: Oliveira. The Brazilian submission expert is one of the lightweight division’s most crafty finishers and will provide a stern test to Topuria, who has earned a reputation as one of the organisation’s most dominant fighters since he made his debut. Oliveira has been defeated just twice since late 2017, to Islam Makhachev and this weekend’s main event backup fighter, Arman Tsarukyan.