With the Conor McGregor UFC era likely coming to an end, fans and experts continue to keep an eye out for who may be the next superstar, but Dana White thinks Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett could be just that.
The UFC is undoubtedly in a better position now than it ever has been, and that is because of the plethora of stars they have created, with the weight not all being placed on Conor McGregor‘s shoulders.
Current light heavyweight champion, Alex Pereira, has become one of the biggest stars not only in MMA but combat sports as a whole, in just three years since he joined the UFC.
‘Suga’ Sean O’Malley has also transcended the sport over the years, and after winning the UFC bantamweight title earlier this year, he has grown significantly more popular.
Dana White heaps praise on Paddy Pimblett, comparing him to young Conor McGregor
Despite the two aforementioned stars, UFC CEO, Dana White, has heaped praise on a fighter who doesn’t currently hold a title, but someone who reminds him of a young Conor McGregor.
Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett recently picked up the biggest win of his career thus far against top 15 ranked lightweight contender, Bobby ‘King’ Green.
Going into the fight, a large portion of the MMA fanbase was counting the Brit out because of his recent performances against Tony Ferguson and Jared Gordon, but despite the criticism, he came out and answered the doubts emphatically.
With that, he finally cracked the UFC lightweight rankings, giving himself the chance at some huge fights in the future.
“You know what, he reminds me of Conor (McGregor) when Conor first started because everybody said ‘Oh Conor’s not that good, all the hype’ and this and that and they just keep sticking it to everybody every time they fight,” White told Jim Rome.
“Paddy is one of those guys, everybody keeps doubting him, everybody keeps saying he’s not good, people keep calling him out and wanting to fight him and then to go in and do what he did to Bobby Green, it’s hard to say that Paddy isn’t the real deal. He’s fun, he’s entertaining and he’s a tough kid,” White continued.
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Dana White believes Paddy ‘The Baddy’ has the same hunger that McGregor had
‘The Notorious’ Irishman and Pimblett did have a relatively similar early career in fairness to the UFC boss, as they both dominated the regional scene in Cage Warriors, building their name and earning themselves their shot in the UFC.
White believes that the 29-year-old Scouser has the same hunger and drive that McGregor did when he joined the promotion at 24 years old.
“Yeah (he has the same hunger that McGregor had), different people have it in different ways, but he absolutely does,” White said.
‘The Baddy’ is hopeful that one day he will be able to main event a UFC event at Anfield Stadium, the home ground of the football team he supports, Liverpool FC.
Whilst White is categorically against stadium shows in the UK, if Pimblett continues to grow his star power, he may leave the UFC CEO no choice. Following his win over Green this past July, he called for a fight against Renato Moicano.
‘Money’ Moicano is booked to take on Benoit Saint-Denis at UFC Paris in September, with the winner of that fight making sense for Pimblett’s next outing.
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