Dan Hardy sees rising UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett becoming an even bigger star than Conor McGregor. Considering that McGregor is the biggest name in mixed martial arts, and one of the most famous athletes on the planet, that’s no small order, but Hardy explained his position on The MMA Hour. It could start, he says, with a superfight between the rising star and McGregor.
“I think they’re in different places, and it’s difficult to compare the two of them. But you could certainly see it building to a superfight at some point, just not anywhere near it right now. Conor’s up near the top of the top of the division, Paddy’s got to build himself into that position.
Dan Hardy Predicts Pimblett Will be “Something Way More” Than Conor McGregor
I would hope Paddy’s focus is on the belt, as opposed to the superfights right now, because he’s in a very strong position where he could become something way more than Conor McGregor. I know that’s a difficult thing for us to imagine, but we couldn’t
imagine Conor McGregor before he stepped out of Cage Warriors.”Key to Pimblett eclipsing McGregor, says Hardy, is that Conor’s fame has alienated him from his fanbase.
“Especially because people’s brands change and shift. Conor’s not the same. He’s not as easy to gravitate toward as he used to be in the beginnings of his career. It’s much more easy to relate to people when they’ve stepped off the streets and they’re going through hard times. Now, he’s living on yachts and stuff.
I think he’s quite estranged from his fan base, and I think people will tune in due to the fact that he’s an entertainer. But I think people will follow Paddy to a much longer degree than they have done Conor, because I don’t think Paddy’s going to fall off in the same way that Conor did and find himself in handcuffs.”
Of course, with only three fights under his belt, Paddy “The Baddy” won’t be getting anywhere near the lightweight belt any time soon.
“We don’t need to give him one of the star names right now. Just because he’s a developing star, it doesn’t mean he’s at the technical level yet to start taking on some of those big challenges.
I still think there’s a bit of growth left in his game. Maybe another 12 months or so, a couple or three more wins, and then we start to look at him fighting those recognizable names.”
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