UFC lightweight Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett wants to prove the doubters wrong this weekend. He’s one of the most popular fighters on the roster, but some critics have pointed out the lack of serious competition on his resume. Of his three UFC fights, two of his opponents have been released by the promotion. Pimblett, speaking at the pre-UFC 282 media day, promised a “breakout performance” this weekend.
“They’re not [taking me serious]. It’s cheeky. People still aren’t taking me for real. No one respects me, and it does p*ss me off. But I’ve just got to get on with that. People just don’t respect the come up. Simple as.
Paddy The Baddy: Disrespect From MMA Fans “P*sses Me Off!”
This is going to be my breakout performance. People are going to see the improvements that I’ve made over the last 15 months since I signed with the UFC. You’re going to see.” Pimblett countered the criticism by praising his opponents.
“Every one of my past opponents, people will be like, ‘He’s not good, he’s not good.’ I personally think my best opponent was my debut, Luigi Vendramini. He gets a bad rap. The only fights that he lost, he lost a majority decision to Fares Ziam. He lost his debut at welterweight, and then I beat him but that’s me. People say because he got cut. Yeah, [Kazula] Vargas wasn’t the best, he wasn’t.
Jordan Leavitt’s very good. No one had ever finished him. Everyone was talking about Claudio Puelles. He’s f****** s*** as well. He couldn’t finish him but everyone was saying he would beat me and I went and finished Leavitt on one of my worst nights.
When I teamed up with a lot of s*** going on behind the scenes, and I still finished him in the second round. I’m disappointed in that performance just like I was with the Vargas one. I don’t think I’ve put a good performance in since my debut and that wasn’t even that good.”
Pimblett’s star power is undeniable, and he expects to receive a warm welcome away from home against Jared Gordon this weekend.
“I always saw this in my future and knew what was coming. I always said I’m going to be the biggest star in this sport and none of it takes me by surprise.
I’m fighting in America, and I know full well, Jared’s going to get booed. I’m going to get cheered. That’s a fact. It just is. It’s going to be mad for him, because he might think he might get a good cheer, and when he’s standing in that cage and everyone’s singing, ‘Oh Paddy the Baddy,’ his ass is going to fall out of him.”
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