Paddy 'The Baddy' ranking: Is Paddy Pimblett still unranked within the UFC lightweight division?
After Paddy Pimblett's impressive second-round submission win against Jordan Leavitt, many fans believed that the Englishman could have sneaked into the top 15 of the UFC's lightweight division. However, this is not the case as 'The Baddy' is still currently unranked within the UFC.
MMA ranking website, rankingmma.com, has ranked Pimblett as the 38th best lightweight within the UFC after his wins against Luigi Vendarmini, Rodrigo Vargas, and Leavitt. This would mean that 'The Baddy' is likely two to three fights away from the top 15 in the division, depending on his next opponent in the organization.
Ilia Topuria, a fighter who has mentioned Paddy Pimblett on a few occasions and seemingly isn't fond of the Scouser, is currently ranked 28th by the MMA rankings website.
He would seem like a great next opponent for 'The Baddy' with the storyline already written and the potential to for him to edge closer to the UFC rankings by winning.
Topuria and Pimblett famously clashed in a London hotel ahead of Pimblett's bout in the capital city, adding further fuel to the fire between the two lightweights. As the German-born fighter was being pulled away, 'The Baddy' said:
"What, what lad, I'm f***ing stood here you f***ing little maggot."
Watch the hotel altercation here:
Why did Paddy Pimblett and Ilia Topuria fight in a London hotel?
The main reason for the two UFC lightweights getting into an altercation was seemingly due to Ilia Topuria feeling disrespected by Paddy Pimblett. Topuria took to Twitter after the incident and stated that 'The Baddy' "sh*t" his pants when he saw the German-born fighter.
I warned you! This is what happens when you disrespect me and my country! You saw me and wanted to greet me because you shit your pants… and you should thank my team because of it wasn’t for them separating me, I would have taken your head off. @theufcbaddy 🖕 https://t.co/PEdPRNGH5n
Paddy Pimblett seemingly believes that Topuria only attempted to attack him to gain followers and attention, stating that he didn't even know who the lightweight was - nicknaming the UFC fighter "Mr. Hand Sanitizer" during an interview:
"Who even is he? Seriously. Who is Mr. Hand Sanitizer? He’s no one. He used my name for followers and to gain some publicity. He put a video of him and made himself look like a tool."
It's no secret that Pimblett has a much larger following than Ilia Topuria, but with rankingsmma.com ranking the German-born fighter higher than 'The Baddy', a bout between the two fighters would seem mutually beneficial.
A potential bout would, of course, earn Topuria lots of followers and good money, but a win for Pimblett would further increase his chances of becoming a ranked UFC fighter.