‘Laughing stock of this whole sport’ – Paddy Pimblett goes after Diego Sanchez

Rising UFC featherweight Paddy Pimblett recently got into a feisty exchange with one of the sport’s pioneers, Diego Sanchez — winner of the inaugural season of The Ultimate Fighter and a veteran of over 30 Octagon appearances.

It began when Sanchez used a row of clown emojis to symbolize the recent UFC signing. Those make-up clad faces seemed to have struck a nerve with Pimblett, who unleashed a tirade aimed at ‘The Nightmare’.

“Go and get brainwashed by that Fabia dude again like he’s your cult leader,” wrote Pimblett on Instagram. “Your the laughing stock of this whole sport! Ever talk shit about me again you fucking hasbeen I slap your ass up.”

Pimblett then showed off his accomplishment via Twitter.

Sanchez was released from the UFC in 2021 after some bizarre instances involving Joshua Fabia. Fabia, who runs something called the School of Self Awareness, had been coaching Sanchez and cornering him in the Octagon. Fabia made headlines when video revealed him awkwardly confronting the UFC broadcast team over their dealings with Sanchez.

Fabia later made a number of claims regarding UFC President Dana White and released footage of him treating Sanchez like a punching bag. Amid a stern backlash against Fabia, Sanchez announced he would no longer be working with him.

This lead to a war of words between former teacher and pupil.

Sanchez, who recently endured a serious battle with COVID-19, is currently scheduled to face Kevin Lee in Khabib Nurmagomedov’s Eagle FC promotion. The 40-year-old UFC Hall of Famer has a record of 30-13 and is tied second all-time for UFC Fight of the Night awards (7) and tied seventh all-time for UFC wins (18).

Pimblett won his UFC debut over Luigi Vendramini last September. His pro record stands at 17-3.