"Give him time" - Brendan Schaub warns UFC against skyrocketing Paddy Pimblett like Sean O'Malley
Brendan Schaub doesn't quite think Paddy Pimblett is ready to take on the same amount of pressure the UFC has put on Sean O'Malley.
One of the hottest rising stars on the roster, O'Malley recently received a huge step up in competition as he's set to face ex-bantamweight champion Petr Yan. The highly-anticipated matchup will take place on the main card of UFC 280 on October 22 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE).
While Schaub is convinced 'Sugar' is ready for a legitimate test, he believes the same doesn't apply to O'Malley's British counterpart, Pimblett. During an episode of The Schaub Show podcast, the retired heavyweight fighter said:
"Just becuase they did that with 'Sugar' [Sean O'Malley], don't put that pressure on Paddy [Pimblett]. Paddy has work to do. He will get there and he has the skillset to become a world champion, but he needs more experience with tougher opponents. Jordan Leavitt is definitely his toughest opponent yet... Give him time. Let him grow, man. Again, it's a fine line, but you can let him grow as a main eventer."
Catch Brendan Schaub's comments in the clip below:
Sean O'Malley gives honest opinion about Paddy Pimblett
Sean O'Malley thinks Paddy Pimblett needs to take his weight management more seriously as he climbs further up the lightweight ladder.
Pimblett is notorious for gaining an inordinate amount of weight when he's not training for fights. While O'Malley said he's impressed with Pimblett's "discipline" to get back in shape before his fight, he also pointed out that the Scouser will have to be more "dialed in" if he hopes to be successful against contenders:
"I always dialed in for camps but it’s different," O'Malley said during an episode of his podcast. "Pedro felt different too, it’s Top 10. He’s fighting Jordan Leavitt, probably looked at him and thought ‘not that good’. I’m sure for Paddy, once he’s fighting Islam or Charles or Dustin or Chandler, any of those guys, it’s like okay, let’s not get up to 210. Let’s dial it in a little further."
Catch Sean O'Malley's take on Paddy Pimblett's diet:
Then again, O'Malley acknowledged that Pimblett's methods have worked for him thus far. The Liverpudlian is yet to miss weight ever since he joined the UFC. He has also lived up to the hype so far after finishing all of his opponents.