"I'll quit drinking after this weekend's party; that never works" - Paddy Pimblett's post-fight weight gain approach shows immaturity, says Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen is not happy with Paddy Pimblett's approach to his weight fluctuation. Pimblett recently said that he will stop putting on excessive weight in between fights once he starts facing ranked opponents.
According to Sonnen, nothing works according to the kind of plan that Pimblett has devised. 'The American Gangster' senses "immaturity" in the Liverpudlian's approach. The former UFC middleweight recently said on his YouTube channel:
"He said, 'Once I start fighting ranked guys, I'll stop doing that.' That part bothered me. That part is where the immaturity is coming in. Nothing in life works out that way, right?! 'I'll start paying taxes once I start making more money', right?! It's one of those things. 'I'll quit drinking after this weekend's party'. That never works."
Watch Sonnen's YouTube video below:
Whilst attending UFC San Diego last weekend, Pimblett said that he plans on being more disciplined as he starts fighting ranked opponents. However, 'The Baddy' wants to go easy on himself in the weight department as of now.
Sonnen also stated that unranked opponents do not necessarily translate to easier fights. Citing the example of Pimblett himself, 'The American Gangster' noted that the Liverpudlian is a tough fight despite being unranked.
When a weight cut almost killed Paddy Pimblett
Paddy Pimblett cutting down from around 200 lbs. to the lightweight limit of 155 lbs. is a feat in itself. What is even more surprising is the fact that 'The Baddy' would cut down to the featherweight limit of 145 lbs. during his Cage Warriors days.
However, Pimblett revealed that one bad weight cut almost cost him his life. 'The Baddy' almost killed himself while cutting weight for his featherweight title defense against Julian Erosa in 2016. The Liverpudlian said during media day leading up to his UFC London bout against Jordan Leavitt:
"I couldn’t get in and out of the sauna. I got physically pulled in the sauna and pulled out the sauna. I’ll never forget [coach] Adam saying, ‘If he dies, it’s not on me'...And when I fought, I had to cut like 7.7 kilo overnight, which is about 16-17 pound. And I got a DEXA scan that day, and I went and got a DEXA scan the other day. And they can cross-reference them; compare them over. And he said, if a doctor would’ve looked at that DEXA scan, he wouldn’t have let me fight the next day. I was 0.2 kilo away from acute kidney failure and one kilo of water weight away from dying.”
Watch Paddy Pimblett's segment at the UFC London media day below:
While Pimblett defended his title against Erosa via unanimous decision, the Liverpudlian vomited inside the cage in the immediate aftermath of the fight.