"My days of giving Paddy a hard time are behind me"- Chael Sonnen details the moment he changed his opinion on Paddy Pimblett
In a recent video posted to his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen gave some insight into what changed his opinion of Paddy Pimblett and why he wouldn't trash the prospect going forward.
'The Baddy' has an aura and personality that fans either love or hate, and although he does have many fans, he has a handful of people against him too. His weight issues are a persisting problem for the 155-pounder that supporters don't get on board with, but there are some that are not fans of his outspoken nature.
While discussing Paddy Pimblett with his subscribers, Chael Sonnen insisted that the Scouser's performance was "as close to perfect" as one can get. This was due to what the fighter was dealing with heading into the bout.
"As good as Paddy looked in his ability to push the pace and out-scramble his opponent, out-hustle and outwork his opponent, I maintain he was dealing with stresses and pressures, mentally and physically... I submit for you that performance was as close to perfect that I have seen in a period of time."
"And I submit for you that he was not at his best. When he gave that post-fight interview and we found out that he is dealing with a death... He stayed professional until it was time to break and to be a real human being... My days of giving Paddy a hard time are behind me."
The Brit put on another impressive performance inside the octagon when he earned a rear-naked choke over Jordan Leavitt at UFC London earlier this year. However, it was his post-fight suicide awareness speech that caught the world's attention.
Check out what Chael Sonnen had to say about his change of mind on Pimblett in the video below:
Who will Paddy Pimblett face next?
Paddy Pimblett is sitting on the sidelines and waiting for an opponent to be brought forward by the UFC. But who should the lightweight realistically face in his next outing?
Sitting at 3-0 since starting his UFC journey, the 27-year-old will soon be knocking on the door of the top 15 at 155lbs.
Many unranked lightweights seemingly have all the potential in the world, but one clash that stands out above the rest is a grudge match against Ilia Topuria. The two had a backstage brawl, and with their fighting style, this would make for a potential fight of the year contender war.