In the latest episode of Stylebender Breakdown, UFC middleweight champion Israel Adesanya took aim at surging lightweight Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett. Pimblett had previously praised Adesanya’s fighting prowess, but threw shade at Adesanya’s habit of dancing both before and after fights.
The Last Stylebender did not appreciate it. “He should do that. I dare him to do a f****** whole entrance on the biggest fight of his life.
Adesanya: Pimblett Getting Fed “A Bum” At UFC London
I’m not talking this fight. This ain’t the biggest fight of his life. He’s fighting a motherf***** that’s 1-2 [in the UFC]. He’s getting fed a bum. I dare him to try something like that, and then fight, and do what I did.”
Paddy Pimblett will enter the Octagon this Saturday night at UFC London riding one of the biggest hype trains in recent years. Israel Adesanya, who entered MMA after a colossal career as a professional kickboxer, took the chance to remind the younger fighter that there are levels to this game.
“He jumped in the UFC, talked that s***, and he walked that s***, too. I like what he’s doing. I like the haircut, and I like how he’s owning everything and just telling it like it is. He’s speaking his truth. They’re building him up.
This is the thing: when I got to the UFC, when I jumped in, I was ready to fight the [most] dangerous people of the division, and they threw me right in there against a grappler who was going to grapple me. At least, that’s what he tried to do.
Second fight, I’m fighting block head [Marvin Vettori], third fight, I fight a top-ranked guy, top-10, f***, third fight.
Look, you can be a hype train but there’s levels. I knew I could jump in the deep end and swim with the sharks right away.
I didn’t have the opportunity, like some of the these guys… even [Jon Jones] early on was fighting, not scrubs, but they push you, and once they realize who you are, ‘Oh, OK, let’s push him more.’ Anyway, that’s no shade by the way, that’s just me stating it as it is for myself. I didn’t get to fight a guy who was 1-2.”
Adesanya praised Pimblett’s confidence, but the middleweight champ – who has never lost an MMA fight at 185 pounds – reminded The Baddy that his striking still needs work.
“That kind of confidence shakes a lot of dudes, even a lot of veterans. When they’re under the lights, when a guy is creative like Pimblett, or like myself, like Brunson at MSG. I created all of that. He was like, ‘Oh f***, s***,’ and he got shook.
So he can shake a lot of veterans with that confidence, but he’s a bit green so he needs to work on his skills, especially his striking.” What do you think of the Paddy the Baddy hype train? Let us know in the comments.
