Sean Strickland calls Paddy Pimblett a "Conor McGregor wannabe" after recent press conference
Sean Strickland is sounding off on Paddy Pimblett for not coming across as an authentic and respectable fighter.
Strickland spoke with the media during his pre-fight media availability ahead of his Fight Night main event against Jared Cannonier this Saturday. During his media scrum, he took shots at Pimblett by mentioning that he is much more relatable to the Englishman:
"You don't wanna see that f**king guy with his little bowlcut, you know. You can't relate to that f**king guy, that english little f**king prick." (0:37 - 0:44)
The No.7-ranked UFC middleweight was complimented for his entertaining press conferences, to which he agreed and then compared 'The Baddy' to former two-division champion Conor McGregor, and not in a flattering way:
"Oh yeah, press conferences. Dude, I make the f**king press conferences. Look at Paddy [Pimblett] the f**king Conor McGregor wannabe." (0:29 - 0:36)
Sean Strickland proved how entertaining he could be during press conferences, as he displayed this past June during the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference, where he trash-talked then-middleweight champion Israel Adesanya.
Check out the full media availability:
Is Sean Strickland targeting a fight with Israel Adesanya?
Based on the UFC 276 pre-fight press conference this past June, it's clear that Sean Strickland still wants to fight Israel Adesanya.
While speaking with the media ahead of his Fight Night against Jared Cannonier, the No.7-ranked middleweight mentioned that he believes he's the most entertaining opponent for the former middleweight champion:
"Again, we all know that I'd have the best fight with Izzy. I mean he's gonna f**king run around me, I'm gonna get frustrated, he might out-point me, but, you know, it would be the best fight. I don't have a lot of followers though, so maybe the UFC looks at me and says, 'This guy doesn't have a big name. Put him in the f**kin Apex. Let him fight there.'" (0:06 - 0:26)
Sean Strickland went after Israel Adesanya at the #UFC276 press conference 😳 https://t.co/pUihUvKSuP
Despite the current rankings, an Adesanya-Strickland bout could still come to fruition in the UFC. If the trash-talking middleweight could defeat Cannonier, who is coming off a title shot in his most recent fight, that could bring him back into the mix for a title opportunity. At the very least, a win could set the stage for a title eliminator against the winner of Paulo Costa vs. Robert Whittaker.