"I'm miles away from that" - Paddy Pimblett gives his honest take on fighting Conor McGregor in a dream match
Paddy Pimblett made a huge statement in his UFC debut by securing a first-round stoppage win in spectacular fashion.
In the aftermath of his first-round KO win over Luigi Vendramini at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till, Paddy Pimblett addressed the possibility of him fighting MMA megastar Conor McGregor.
Speaking to ESPN MMA’s Brett Okamoto, Paddy Pimblett opened up on his UFC debut. ‘The Baddy’ was also asked about whether he had a dream fight.
Pimblett responded by stating:
“There’s one money fight that everyone knows that you’re gonna say, and it’s the big Conor (McGregor fight), you know what I mean? But I’m miles away from that. I’m not delusional, you know what I mean? As I say, I don’t care. It’s up to the UFC. I’m an employee now. And I put bu*s on seats, so they’re gonna wanna put fighters in front of me.
“And I don’t wanna call anyone out. I don’t need to give anyone publicity, lad. People will be calling me out now. As I said, I’m the new kid on the block, lad. I’m the new cash cow. I’m here to take over. And watch how many people come out the woodwork this week, lad, and call me out. Watch! It’s gonna be comedy gold…Oh, I can’t wait, lad. It’s going off, lad. It’s going off.”
In a nutshell, Paddy Pimblett suggested that although he’d like to fight Conor McGregor – given the substantially higher payment a fighter receives when they face McGregor – he’d likely need more wins to be booked in that fight.
Paddy Pimblett aims to keep winning, whereas Conor McGregor looks to return to the win column
Paddy Pimblett is now on a three-fight win streak, with his latest win being a first-round knockout over Luigi Vendramini. This lightweight matchup marked Pimblett’s UFC debut. The fan-favorite fighter from Liverpool, England is on a quest for MMA greatness and has his sights set on the UFC lightweight title.
The consensus in the MMA community is that Pimblett is likely to be booked against a higher-ranked opponent the next time he steps foot inside the octagon.
Meanwhile, Conor McGregor is on a two-fight losing streak. ‘Notorious’ has lost back-to-back lightweight bouts against Dustin Poirier.
Moreover, Conor McGregor suffered a horrific leg injury in his trilogy fight against Poirier at UFC 264 in July 2021. McGregor is currently recovering and will return to the octagon in 2022.