UFC hype doesn’t get much bigger than the furore surrounding Paddy Pimblett. The fighter, hailing from Liverpool, has only one UFC win under his belt, but he’s already declaring himself “the people’s main event”. Pimblett is set to fight at UFC London this weekend, and told Thomas Gerbasi that he is fully expecting yet another early finish.
“I told you how it was gonna go, didn’t I? Obviously, he caught me with a nice shot and things weren’t going my way, but that’s just what I do.
Paddy The Baddy: “I’m the people’s main event”
I like getting into a firefight, I like a fistfight. It’s entertaining for people and it’s mad to say, but I enjoy getting punched. It’s not something that I shy away from. I enjoy taking a shot and I enjoy giving a shot.”
Giving a shot is exactly what Pimblett did. He weathered an early storm from Luigi Vendramini to deliver a stunning first-round knockout victory for his UFC debut. Paddy Pimblett, who earned himself two Cage Warriors titles primarily thanks to his prodigious jiu-jitsu game – including flying triangles – earned a reputation as a power puncher.
“That fight was a good opener for me to show everyone what I’m about, and the funniest thing about it is, people think I’m a striker now. And I’m not. I’m far from it.”
Pimblett credits his penchant for early finishes – six knockouts and seven submissions – and Scouse charisma for his massive surge in popularity. “To be honest, it’s because I’m not putting on an act.
I’m just a normal lad. People like people being themselves. I’m not being like a Colby Covington. I’m not putting on a persona. I’m just being myself and I think that’s what people like.”
I’ve said for years that it was gonna get big. I’ve always known that this was gonna happen. I just knew from when I was younger.
I said for years that I was gonna be a big name in this sport, and I know after I’m done I’ll be on television sets everywhere and I’ll be a talking head or I’ll be doing something because people just love me and I’m gonna continue to do that. I don’t shy away from nothing, I just tell it how it is and people love me for that reason.”
Pimblett is promising an earth-shattering entrance this weekend, but it’s just a preview of bigger things to come. “I can’t wait because I always said I’m gonna fight in there and I’m gonna blow the roof off. It’s mad because I’m not the main event, but I’m the people’s main event.
There’s no feeling like it, to be honest. It gives you a brilliant feeling inside and you can’t explain it. It’s funny because when I went to Madison Square Garden and I walked into the weigh-ins, it happened there, and multiple different people said I got the loudest reception of anyone. I’ve had one UFC fight, lad. It just shows what I’m gonna do.”
