5 reasons why the rise of Paddy Pimblett cannot be compared to the rise of Conor McGregor

It's hard to compare the rise of Paddy Pimblett to the rise of Conor McGregor a few years ago

Following his big win at the UFC’s recent Fight Night show in London, Paddy Pimblett is undoubtedly one of the hottest fighters on the planet, with his meteoric rise being compared to the rise of Conor McGregor a few years ago.

While there are definitely some parallels between the rise of Paddy Pimblett and the rise of Conor McGregor, the truth is that, right now, ‘The Baddy’ is incomparable to ‘The Notorious’.

@DiaztwinsMMA @PaddyTheBaddy Good luck paddy i was outside your gaf all hours with your man with long hair out that way that doing 30 year now forget his name hahahaha knock knoc who’s there not mike hahahaah it’s Brews not bevvies with them 🇺🇸 meatball 😋

Pimblett may well go onto capture gold inside the octagon in the future and emulate the success of the Irishman. However, right now, if you look beyond the hype, comparing the two is largely unfair.

With that in mind, here are five reasons why the rise of Paddy Pimblett is incomparable to the rise of Conor McGregor.

#5. Unlike Conor McGregor’s victories, Paddy Pimblett’s wins have not been flawless

Paddy Pimblett has won his two UFC bouts, but his wins haven't come easily

When looking back at the rise of Conor McGregor, many observers would naturally point to his charisma and skills on the microphone as the keys to his stardom. However, all of the charisma in the world wouldn’t have meant a lot had the Irishman not been able to fight.

Of course, that wasn’t the case. It was quickly evident that ‘The Notorious’ had absolutely phenomenal skills inside the octagon to go along with his big mouth and boastful ways.

McGregor’s first two bouts in the UFC saw him breeze past Marcus Brimage and Max Holloway. After returning from a serious knee injury, he easily dealt with Diego Brandao, Dustin Poirier and Dennis Siver, too.

Even top contender Chad Mendes and then-featherweight champ Jose Aldo couldn’t touch the Irishman. It wasn’t until his first fight with Nate Diaz three years into his UFC career that anyone really tested McGregor.

In contrast, Paddy Pimblett’s first two wins have not been flawless by any means. While he finished both Luigi Vendramini and Kazula Vargas in the first round, he was also tagged by the strikes of both men and certainly didn’t seem invulnerable.

HUGE left hook by @VendraminiLuigi wobbles Paddy Pimblett 😱 #UFCVegas36 https://t.co/CNF71YXEOk

So while Pimblett’s charisma and microphone skills are similar to those displayed by McGregor in his early days, it was also clear that the Irishman had something special in the octagon, something that ‘The Baddy’ has yet to really show, despite his two victories.