Drew Dober accuses Paddy Pimblett of refusing to fight him

There were rumors that Paddy Pimblett and Drew Dober could clash at UFC 288. 'The Baddy' remains sidelined following ankle surgery, however, while the No.14-ranked lightweight is set to face Matt Frevola this weekend. Dober recently accused the unranked lightweight of refusing the opportunity to face him.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The MMA Hour, the lightweight contender stated:

"The talking was all on my end. I wanted to fight him. That would be fun, especially in the O2 Arena, in front of a London crowd, absolutely, but it's a hard no from Paddy and definitely a hard no from the guys protecting him, too."

Drew Dober was then asked if his call out was shut down, responding:

"Yeah, pretty much. I think it was one of those internet fantasies where I think everyone, including myself, would love the idea of me fighting Paddy, but he's going to call the shots and that's a no."

Check out Drew Dober's comments on Paddy Pimblett below:

.@DrewDober knows Paddy Pimblett won't accept a fight against him:

"I wanted to fight him. … But, it’s a hard no from Paddy and a hard no from the guys protecting him.”

▶️ youtube.com/live/TYP4vOYet… https://t.co/NPyv5v7LWI

Dober, who is on a three-fight win streak, is set to return to the octagon this weekend in his first bout as a ranked fighter. Paddy Pimblett recently underwent ankle surgery and is unlikely to return to the octagon until later in the year.

Drew Dober labels Paddy Pimblett 'the Jake Paul of the UFC'

Paddy Pimblett started his UFC career on a four-fight win streak, garnering plenty of hype. The unranked lightweight has lost some of his starpower, however, following a controversial unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon. Speaking at UFC 288 media day, Drew Dober compared 'The Baddy' to social media personality Jake Paul, stating:

"Paddy's name is great. It's fun. I feel like he's like the Jake Paul of the UFC right now. He's bringing in a lot of attention, but really the opportunity that excites me the most is not his name. It's that O2 Arena in London. Fighting in front of the English crowd would be so much fun. Whether you love me or hate me, I just love the energy and they bring in so much energy."

Check out Drew Dober's comments on Paddy Pimblett below (starting at the 4:52 mark):

Dober added that he believes Pimblett has a lot of growing up to do as he lacks maturity. The No.14-ranked lightweight did share, however, that he believes 'The Baddy' can eventually reach a massive level of stardom.