Paddy Pimblett's ability to draw eyes puts him in unique position for next fight, says Chael Sonnen
Chael Sonnen believes the UFC could be pushing Paddy Pimblett towards a title shot because of his marketability.
Pimblett secured his fourth UFC win with a controversial unanimous decision against Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Despite the debate about the decision, ‘The Baddy’ is one step closer to fulfilling his world championship aspirations. During a video on his YouTube channel, Sonnen had this to say while discussing what’s next for the Liverpool native:
“I’m trying to make this point that Paddy’s not calling for those top guys, and they’re not calling for him. Now, what do you do if you’re Paddy? What do you do if you want to carry Paddy? You’re gonna deny it up, down, and sideways that there’s any politics here, and you might even believe it, but people have a subconscious too. You’ve got a guy who’s got the blessing of Barstool Sports. That’s very massive.”
Chael Sonnen continued by saying:
“Why do you wanna build a guy up? Why do you want him to win fights? Why do you wanna do those things? Because that’s how you get him over with the audience… If you’re matching Paddy up, where do you want to put him and why? Why do you wanna put him with the number three guy? Why do you wanna put him with the number two guy? Why do you want to get him to a championship? Now, if you really think about those, it’s a pretty easy answer because that’s what draws. That’s what moves the needle.”
Pimblett had a massive fanbase before winning his UFC debut in September 2021. ‘The Baddy’ has lived up to the hype thus far. However, his recent performance raises the question: Can the 27-year-old improve and evolve into a world champion?
Watch Chael Sonnen discuss Paddy Pimblett below:
Chael Sonnen praises Paddy Pimblett after beating Jared Gordon at UFC 282
Paddy Pimblett survived a close call against Jared Gordon. In fact, 23 out of 24 media members scored the fight for Gordon on MMA Decisions. During a video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen gave credit to Pimblett for his UFC 282 performance by saying:
"Gordon came to play, make no mistake. Paddy found himself in a fight that was harder than he knew it was going to be, but he responded. I have not seen anything from Paddy that shows me anything less than a potential to be a future champion."
Gordon has called for a rematch against Pimblett. In March 2023, UFC 286 goes down in London, England. It’ll be intriguing to see if the 27-year-old rising superstar will fight in the O2 Arena for the third time under the UFC banner.