Paddy Pimblett isn’t going anywhere.
UFC 304 features the return of England’s favorite “Baddy” when he battles King Green (formerly Bobby) this weekend (Sat., July 27, 2024). However, the 29-year-old Pimblett raised some alarms throughout the combat sports community when he revealed he’ll be a free agent after the clash.
The Lightweight prospect noted how he’d be open to taking on some of the YouTubers who have recently infiltrated the boxing world, like Logan Paul. Pimblett’s overall fighting interest isn’t in boxing, though. For the Liverpool native, show him the money then he’ll get back to doing his thing inside the Octagon.
“I‘m a prize fighter. It’d be all about the money, it goes without saying,” Pimblett told MMA Mania. “All this stupid YouTube boxing is daft, but if they’re offering me millions of pounds to do it, then I’ll do it. But yeah, people have made a big deal of that lad, I’m not leaving the UFC. The UFC is the marquee MMA promotion in the world.
He went on to express his frustration, stating that many people are unfamiliar with MMA. They often mistakenly assume he competes in the UFC. Therefore, he sees no reason to leave the prestigious UFC and compete in lesser-known promotions like PFL or Bellator. In all likelihood, he plans to continue his fighting career exclusively in the UFC. However, he admits that if he were offered a substantial amount of money to participate in boxing matches against less skillful opponents, he wouldn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
Before Pimblett gets the chance to weigh his options, he’ll need to get through the 49-fight veteran, Green (32-15-1, 1 no contest). The pair of Lightweights have two common opponents. The most notable of the two is former interim champion, Tony Ferguson, who Green submitted with a third round arm triangle choke (watch highlights) after Pimblett won a unanimous decision in December 2023.
While Green’s victory may be considered more impressive, Pimblett doesn’t attach much importance to the comparison between their MMA performances. In fact, Pimblett believes his own win was more dominant and sees a potential win over Green as a stepping stone towards a top 10 ranking.
Pimblett expressed that the first round against his opponent was much more competitive. He pointed out that Bobby was knocked down by Tony, whereas he was able to drop Tony himself. Pimblett finds it unfair to label Bobby solely as a striker since he lacks grappling skills compared to him. However, Bobby managed to secure a submission in the final round due to Tony’s assistance, whereas Pimblett dominated Tony for three rounds. Pimblett believes that MMA mathematics cannot be applied in this situation. Just because one person has defeated another, it does not guarantee future victories. Overall, Pimblett emphasizes that MMA mathematics is flawed.
“I’d love to fight someone like Beneil Dariush,” he continued. “He’s so high up the rankings, it’d be nice to jump up that much, but to be honest, it’d be someone like Dan Hooker, I think. But as I say, I want to fight [Renato] Moicano, that’s who I’d love to fight.
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’McGREGOR-FREE MAIN EVENT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Sat., June 29, 2024, without its biggest box office draw, Conor McGregor, after the Irish sports star delayed the “greatest comeback of all-time” because he broke his pinky toe (seriously). Coming the rescue once again is Light Heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, agreeing to rematch former division champion, Jiri Prochazka, in the pay-per-view (PPV) main event. In UFC 303’s co-headliner, top-ranked Featherweight contender, Brian Ortega, will attempt to halt the rise of red-hot surging 145-pound prospect, Diego Lopes. UFC 303’s PPV main card (see it here) will also feature Anthony Smith vs. Roman Dolidze and Ian Garry vs. Michael “Venom” Page and so much more. It’s must-watch action! UFC 303 start time scheduled for 6 p.m. ET (Prelims) and 10 p.m. ET (PPV).
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Courtesy of Ace Odds.
