Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett Exclusive: Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson is absolutely ridiculous, Me vs Conor McGregor would be the biggest fight in the world, UFC in Liverpool would mean more to me than the belts, I could be in the WWE soon

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND – JULY 27: Paddy Pimblett of England prepares to face King Green in a lightweight bout during the UFC 304 event at Co-op Live on July 27, 2024 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)

One of UFC’s biggest rising stars Paddy Pimblett spoke candidly about his future in the UFC – targeting dream fights with the likes of Conor McGregor and Colby Covington, and hopes for a UFC in Liverpool’s iconic Anfield Stadium

He also praises Tom Aspinall as one of the world’s best heavyweights right now, whilst giving his opinion on the controversial Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson fight coming up in November.

Speaking to OLBG, Pimblett said:

  • Mike Tyson is a unit but this fight with Jake Paul is ridiculous 
  • I’d be stupid not to take the McGregor fight. I want to KO ‘fake prick’ Colby Covington
  • Dana White needs to do a UFC Anfield, fighting there would mean more to me than an UFC belt
  • Me vs Conor McGregor would be the biggest fight in the world
  • Renato Moicano is next for me, I’ll punch his face in
  • After Moicano, I will take out Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier for a shot at the title
  • Tom Aspinall is the hardest fight for Jon Jones at the minute 
  • Tom Aspinall, Jones and Ngannou are the top 3 heavyweights in the world
  • I want to be a world champion before i take ‘’silly money’’ to fight Logan and Jake Paul
  • I want a move to WWE Soon, Shawn Michaels is my favourite wrestler and I will KO someone with a sweet chin music

Mike Tyson is a unit but this fight with Jake Paul is ridiculous 

He was still an absolute unit when I met him anyway, and he wasn’t in shape then. He’s still an absolute brick shithouse. He’s just built like that. Now he’s in shape – but he shouldn’t be fighting at 58, it’s just ridiculous. It’s just stupid.  He definitely doesn’t need to either. He’s got the money to not fight, so I just don’t understand why they’re doing it. 

I’ve chatted a lot of shit about Jake Paul because he never used to be able to throw a punch, but now that he’s actually trained for a few years, he can throw a punch. His boxing doesn’t actually look that bad. But a few years ago when he started and people were saying to me ‘you fight Jake Paul’, I was like, ‘lad, he’s fucking shite’. But now he’s trained for that long and put that much work in, you’ve got to give him his due. He doesn’t look that bad. Like he outboxed Mike Perry even though he had like 40 lbs on him. But it’s Tyson, whether he’s 58 or not, it’s Mike Tyson. I don’t even know [what happens] that’s just like a freak show fight, I wouldn’t even put a prediction on that. I hope Mike Tyson knocks him out. As we’ve just said, he’s 58 years of age, and he hasn’t fought in about 15 years as well. 

I’d be stupid not to take the McGregor fight. I want to KO ‘fake prick’ Colby Covington

Yeah, if they got on me now and said do you want to fight Conor McGregor in December. Of course I’d say yes, I’m not f***** stupid. Or Colby as well, because I think he’s a p***k.  He is so fake. Every UFC staff I’ve spoken to says he’s such a nice person. I’m like, but why is he a bellend then? So like he’s a proper nice person behind the camera – and then it’s like, well, he’s just a knobhead then because he is fake [in front of the camera] I don’t like that lad, I used to watch wrestling when I was a kid, but [his behaviour]  that’s proper wrestling. Nah, I’m not into it. 

I just said to my manager, ‘Listen, if you want me to fight in Vegas before the end of the year – that card has been announced now – but if I was fighting on that card I needed a ten week notice, I needed to know. But obviously I think the UFC wanted to see what was going to happen with Moicano and he ended up being injured, so nothing ended up coming of it. But I said to my manager, ‘If I don’t know within like 10 weeks, I’m not having another fight camp without making weight, so I’ll fight at the weight above so I’ll fight Colby or I’ll fight Conor. If they want me to fight either of them’. 

Dana White needs to do a UFC Anfield, fighting there would mean more to me than an UFC belt

I hope so. I hope I can convince him to go outdoors at Anfield. He needs to come to a footy match to see what the atmosphere is like because I think he thinks it takes away from the atmosphere [going outdoors] But at Anfield it doesn’t, mate, when you’ve got 60,000 scousers in there, it won’t.

No matter who I was fighting, that would probably mean more than actually winning the belts.  Walking out on Anfield and touching the badge. That would be heavy. But, yeah [losing in front of home fans]  that is always playing in your mind, you can’t think about that. You’ve always got to have it in the back of your mind, it certainly can happen like that. 

Me vs Conor McGregor would be the biggest fight in the world

Yeah, of course it would do. Never mind just the city and the UK, it would be around the world. It would be unbelievable. It got mentioned to me like eight years ago or something when I won the Cage Warriors featherweight belt. Anyone that would say no to fighting McGregor is just an idiot because you’re never getting a payday like it. I’d fight McGregor tomorrow, obviously for the city it would be unbelievable. Me, the biggest star in Liverpool MMA fighting the biggest star in the world when it comes to MMA. I’d take that fight in a heartbeat, I’d love that fight. McGregor is a legend. What he’s done in the sport, it’s unprecedented, especially in the short space of time he did it in. But I back myself against anyone. 

Renato Moicano is next for me, I’ll punch his face in

Renato Moicano.  He’s ranked 11 or something like that. He’s a good opponent, he’s mentioned me, I’ve mentioned him. There’s only a few ranks between us. He’s ranked 11 and I’m 14. So, yeah, let’s see.

It made me laugh when he said I was protected. He’s going to say whatever. I don’t mind. And as I say, I like Renato, he’s funny. But I know I’ll punch his face in. I know for a fact I will. I’ve got better grappling than him and think he’s a bit chinny and I think I’ve got better striking than him and think I’d knock him out. 

No, nothing’s being discussed right now. I’m just waiting. I’m just ticking over for now. I’m just in the gym every day, just working on myself, getting me better. I feel like I look better in fights when I don’t rush into the next one and I have a couple of months to get better, training every day in the gym. And that’s what I’m doing at the minute. I want to fight late March, early April because then the baby’s birthday is the 17th of April, so I want to fight before then and then be able to have a little holiday. 

After Moicano, I will take out Charles Oliveira and Dustin Poirier for a shot at the title

If I knock him out, it’s one or two more fights and you’ve got a title shot. It’s even easier to get a title shot if Islam’s still the champ because he will have beaten everyone anyway. He’s beat Charles, he’s beat Dustin. If he beats Arman, he’s beat Arman. And then who else is there? Gathje, but Gathje’s been knocked out by Holloway. If I knock Moicano out and then fight like a Charles Olivera or a Dustin Poirier, I’m getting a title shot. 

Tom Aspinall is the hardest fight for Jon Jones at the minute 

It’s not Pereira as much as I like Pereira, it’s not Pereira. It’s Aspinall or Ngannou, definitely. It’s 100% one of the two. Ngannou’s more power and strength, whereas Aspinall’s more speed and technical. So I’d be honest, I don’t know which one out of the two who would give him a tougher fight. Ngannou has got that power, if he touches you your lights go. 

Tom Aspinall, Jones and Ngannou are the top 3 heavyweights in the world

He probably is, yeah, Tom looks absolutely outstanding at the minute, you can’t fault him,  everyone he fights it’s over in the first round, knocking them out. They are the top three heavyweights in the world right there. Aspinall, Jones and Ngannou.  But Ngannou is  just going to keep falling down the rankings fighting bin men in PFL. 

I want to be a world champion before i take ‘’silly money’’ to fight Logan and Jake Paul

Yeah, of course [it would take a lot of money to fight Jake or Logan Paul]. Something that I said before that got properly misconstrued. I said, ‘yeah, I’ve got one fight left with the UFC, you never know, after this, I could get offered a silly amount of money to do a stupid boxing fight’. And all fucking news outlets put it out there like I was saying, ‘yeah, I’m going to leave the UFC to do that. I said, if I got offered silly money to do so, I’m going to do it’. But I’m an MMA fighter first and foremost, and I want to be the best in the world at my fucking sport, and that’s by being a UFC champion. I see all these Misfits boxing all that shit. I just think fuck off. I remember one of them was on the telly a couple of months ago. It was tag team boxing and I was just like what the fuck this? I said I can’t sit here and watch this like I’m gonna have to get off.

I want a move to WWE Soon, Shawn Michaels is my favourite wrestler and I will KO someone with a sweet chin music

Yeah [I could end up in the WWE], I used to love wrestling.  My favourite wrestler is Shawn Michaels and I’m dying to knock someone out with a sweet chin music in an MMA fight. But I reckon I’m gonna end up in films. I’m gonna be an actor. I’ve just always thought about it. I always told people I was gonna be in the UFC for years. I’ve always loved films and I’ve always watched different TV programs, and when I was younger, when I was little, I did a little bit of acting stuff when I was in a few plays when I was a kid, so like I’ve always said that once my fighting career’s over, I’ll move over to acting and I’ll start doing that. And just by being in the UFC and stuff like that, I’ll end up getting a little job and then I’ll show that I can actually act and I’ll have a few more jobs. 


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