Paddy Pimblett clarifies respect for Islam Makhachev despite picking Charles Oliveira to win against him

Paddy Pimblett has a great deal of respect for reigning UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev.

Pimblett joined Michael Bisping for an interview on BT Sport. They discussed Makhachev's most recent performance, which saw him submit Charles Oliveira to become the new lightweight champion. He said that he received backlash after the Dagestani became lightweight champion, saying:

"He's (Islam Makhachev) an amazing fighter. I got so much stick after he beat Charles (Oliveira) because I picked Charles before it, you know what I mean? People saying, 'You're not giving props to Islam.'" (9:25 - 9:34)

'The Baddy' then clarified that he picked 'Do Bronx' to win the fight, not as a slight on Makhachev, but because the former champion had fought tougher competition. He said:

"Charles (Oliveira) had been underestimated in every fight, you know what I mean? And he beat the better people. Islam hadn't proved himself yet, just like people say about me. Islam hadn't proved himself yet, but Islam looked absolutely phenomenal that night and I can't take nothing away from him. I'm not his biggest fan but that was brilliant what he'd done to Charles." (9:35 - 9:58)

'The Baddy' is currently unranked in the lightweight division, but an impressive performance against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 could very well put him in the top 15. For years, 155lbs has been arguably the deepest and toughest division in the sport, so being ranked could lead to more lucrative fights.

Check out the full interview:

Paddy Pimblett sounds off on MMA journalist Ariel Helwani

Paddy Pimblett blasts “rodent” Ariel Helwani alongside Dana White on his recent podcast episode 👀🤯

🎥 Chatting Pony podcast https://t.co/dnXMzX9fbF

One of the biggest surprises of this fight week was Paddy Pimblett sounding off on Ariel Helwani.

'The Baddy', along with his podcast guest, UFC president Dana White, spent a portion of their conversation blasting Ariel Helwani. The comments weren't met with a positive reaction as he received plenty of backlash on social media, with many fans siding with Helwani.

The Canadian didn't just let the comments slide as he spent an hour of his show, The MMA Hour, firing back at both 'The Baddy' and the UFC president. He even played a voice message that the UFC lightweight left him prior to their falling out last year. It remains to be seen whether 'The Baddy' will address his situation with Helwani any further.