"We're going to find out if his grappling is better" - Josh Thomson shares opinion on Paddy Pimblett vs. Jordan Leavitt matchup
Josh Thomson recently put forth his take regarding Paddy Pimblett’s upcoming lightweight bout against Jordan Leavitt which will take place at UFC London on July 23. On the Weighing In podcast, former UFC lightweight Thomson suggested that the fight will show how good Pimblett’s grappling is.
Pimblett, a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion, is currently 2-0 in the UFC. The UK MMA stalwart was stunned on the feet in both fights but rallied to win his first fight via knockout and second via submission. Alluding to this fact, Thomson stated:
“I mean, Paddy got his good wins. You know what, he’s dealt with some adversity in both fights. He’s got the wins. This is gonna be a big fight in terms of if this fight does hit the ground, we’re going to find out if his grappling is better than Leavitt.”
He also added that Leavitt doesn't have a very strong stand-up game:
“Yeah, we’re gonna see. Leavitt’s good on the ground, [but] on the feet, he’s not that good on the feet. He suffers on the feet. I think Paddy can sprawl and brawl, keep this fight on the feet.”
Thomson highlighted that Pimblett possesses good grappling skills but believes that his grappling is often given way more credit than it deserves. Thomson opined that ‘The Baddy’ is “not a top-level jiu-jitsu guy.”
However, he indicated that Pimblett is a more explosive fighter and possesses better striking skills than Leavitt. Furthermore, Thomson and podcast co-host John McCarthy concurred that Leavitt’s ideal path to victory would be to close the distance, battle in the clinch, get the fight to the mat, and engage Pimblett in a grappling-heavy matchup.
Watch Thomson and McCarthy discuss the Paddy Pimblett vs. Jordan Leavitt matchup in the video below:
Paddy Pimblett on why he refuses to fight more frequently
Paddy Pimblett is widely regarded as one of the biggest rising-stars in MMA today. That said, he’s consistently maintained that he won’t fight more frequently in the UFC unless he’s given a pay raise.
Speaking to Brendan Schaub on the Food Truck Diaries show, Pimblett recently acknowledged that he and other young UFC fighters like Sean O’Malley are making more money outside the UFC than they are from their fights.
Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett Signs Massive Seven-Figure Deal With Barstool Sports barstoolsports.com/blog/3387870/p… https://t.co/vZLPNQPrH4
In regards to people asking him to fight four times a year, Pimblett asserted that he doesn’t need to fight that often to earn money. Having signed a seven-figure deal with Barstool Sports last year, the confident Pimblett explained:
“I make more money outside the octagon. Why? Why should I fight four times a year? Give me a reason when I’m earning more outside the cage than I am in it.”