Throughout 2025, there has been a conversation surrounding whether the UFC has enough stars on the roster right now.
The likes of Ilia Topuria and Sean O’Malley have shown clear star quality during their highly successful climbs to the top of the sport.
Alex Pereira and Islam Makhachev have big fan followings even if they aren’t breaking records or appearing on late night talk shows.
However, a former UFC title challenger believes that there is another athlete on the roster who has already displayed the biggest crossover potential.
Having been in attendance at the UFC’s recent trip to Miami, Chael Sonnen was left stunned by the fans’ reaction to a rising contender.
Chael Sonnen names Paddy Pimblett as the UFC’s next big star after being in the building for UFC 314
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen argued the case that Paddy Pimblett is the UFC’s next big star, rather than one of the promotion’s current champions.
‘The Bad Guy’ has first-hand evidence to support this case after being stunned by the way that ‘The Baddy’ was received in Miami before he went on to stop Michael Chandler in the co-main event.
Though he did also credit Sean O’Malley, Sonnen thinks that Pimblett may already be the UFC’s newest golden goose.
“Paddy is on a meteoric rise. You want to talk about who’s the next big star? I hear this all the time. Is it Ilia? Is it going to be Islam? Is it O’Malley? Is Pereira the biggest star? What do we do without Conor McGregor? I hear all this talk. Guys, I was in the building, the closest one right now, in the absence of O’Malley… I’m telling you, it’s Paddy.”
Sonnen is so confident in this take because of the reaction that Pimblett received at UFC 314.
He said that while it is common for the lightweight contender’s home fans in England to dance and sing along with him, he created exactly the same atmosphere in Florida.
“To have audience interaction is a nearly impossible thing to do. That is something that Michael Jackson could do. That is something The Rock can do where The Rock will bring an audience to their feet and have them chanting along with him.
“To have an audience interaction, it is a different level of popularity. When Paddy ‘The Baddy’, I can’t do the dance, when he’s doing his thing and an entire building, he’s got this beat going and they’re singing the song. They’re singing the god awful song out loud.”
How Paddy Pimblett’s views stack up with the UFC’s other big names right now
While YouTube views on a post-fight interview aren’t the defining statistic for judging stardom, they do give some indication of where the fan demand is at for a chosen fighter.
It’s worth taking into account that the manner of the victory and hype surrounding the fight will influence these numbers also.
Taking the five men that were mentioned by Chael Sonnen, here is how their latest post-fight interview after a win has performed on the UFC’s YouTube channel:
| Fighter | Post-fight Interview | Current Views |
| Paddy Pimblett | UFC 314 | 756k views |
| Ilia Topuria | UFC 308 | 1m views |
| Islam Makhachev | UFC 311 | 921k views |
| Alex Pereira | UFC 307 | 658k views |
| Sean O’Malley | UFC 299 | 1.1m views |
Of course, another aspect to draw attention to is that Paddy Pimblett’s interview is the only one that didn’t happen after a UFC title fight.
The lightweight contender’s profile is only going to keep climbing if he gets into a position to challenge for the title.