"He probably didn't even know that he's missing opportunities" - Chael Sonnen on Dana White saying Paddy Pimblett's weight fluctuations "hurts" the UFC
Chael Sonnen has provided his take on Dana White's recent comments about Paddy Pimblett and his significant weight gain between bouts.
Pimblett is one of the biggest rising stars in MMA. The British fighter has fought three times in the UFC, finishing each of his opponents. Outside of camp, the Liverpudlian is known to balloon in size, which has drawn criticism from fans and fighters alike.
Dana White recently commented on 'The Baddy's' weight gain and admitted it makes booking fights for him tough because he's never close to 155lbs outside of training:
"You know, it makes it tough for us too. Because when we're in the matchmaking room, we wanna throw together a fight, maybe we can throw him on a card in a month, month and a half, it hurts us too. We have to be very specific when we plan fights for him cause he's nowhere near close to weight. And what you don't wanna do is put that much pressure on him to cut that much weight in that short amount of time."
Speaking on his YouTube channel, 'The American Gangster' responded to White's words, saying that 'The Baddy' should be given some leeway:
"I don't think that we should give Paddy [Pimblett] a hard time. Paddy perhaps has not thought about it [Dana White's comments]. That is new information that he has. He's a young man, he's a kid. In all fairness, he probably never knew he was missing opportunities... Nobody can be held liable for something they did if they didn't have the information, let's give him a break."
Catch Chael Sonnen's full video here:
Paddy Pimblett refuses to rule out future bout with Conor McGregor
There are no fighters in the organization with as much pulling power as Conor McGregor, but Paddy Pimblett firmly believes he's on his way there.
The British prospect has had a meteoric rise in the UFC. After just three fights in the octagon, the 27-year-old feels he's ready to main-event pay-per-views in the United States.
Such a rise in the organization has naturally drawn comparisons between him and 'Notorious'. The Irishman is without a doubt MMA's biggest-ever star and Pimblett has revealed he's open to fighting the 34-year-old if the opportunity arises.
Speaking on his podcast Chattin Pony, the Liverpudlian stated:
"You never know, I could end up fighting [Conor McGregor]. We'll see, you don't know what the future holds. Obviously, if someone said, 'Will you fight him?' Of course, I'd fight him. [It] goes without saying, I'll fight anyone."
Catch Paddy Pimblett's full podcast episode here: