UFC lightweight champion Ilia Topuria has said he was disappointed in Paddy Pimblett's performance against Justin Gaethje earlier this year, saying "I never thought that he was that bad."
Gaethje (27-5) beat Pimblett (23-4) on points in January to capture the interim lightweight title with Topuria taking time out for personal issues.
Asked what he thought of the fight, Topuria told ESPN's Brett Okamoto he believed Pimblett would win and was disappointed in the Brit's skill level.
"When they announced the fight, I really thought Paddy would win but [to] my surprise, he lost, and he lost in an ugly way. I never thought that he was that bad," Topuria said.
"Finally, he showed the level and the skills he has inside the Octagon which is almost nothing. For me personally, I thought he was better than that, but he showed a really bad level of skills."
There has been tension between Topuria and Pimblett in the past and they have faced off more than once including in the cage at UFC 317 in June last year. However, any potential fight between them will have to wait.
Topuria will headline the UFC's White House card -- UFC Freedom Fights 250 -- against Gaethje on June 14 but conceded he was also uninspired by the American's display against Pimblett.
"I didn't see any skills, anything special. It was like a bar fight," Topuria said.
"Sometimes I see guys in the UFC making their debuts, I like the level of skills that these guys or girls have. In this fight, for a world title, it was kind of embarrassing for both of them."