The person most people came to see was Paddy Pimblett - Aljamain Sterling shares disagreement with 'The Baddy's underwhelming UFC contract
UFC bantamweight champion Aljamain Sterling has weighed in on the situation revolving around Paddy Pimblett's UFC contract.
Addressing Michael Chandler's recent remarks about fighter pay, 'Funk Master' used Pimblett's name as an example. According to Sterling, the Liverpudlian is deserving of a higher payout than the one he is getting right now. The 135-pound king gave his take during a recent episode of The Weekly Scraps Podcast.
In the video, Sterling also praised 'The Paddy', saying that the 27-year-old was one of the main attractions of the UFC London card in March.
"Paddy Pimblett, super popular, pretty much sold out the entire arena. Himself, damn near by himself. Tom Aspinall, Paddy Pimblett, Molly McCann... but the person that most of the people came to see was Paddy freaking Pimblett," said Aljamain Sterling.
Catch the full episode of The Weekly Scraps Podcast below:
Chandler recently came out in support of the UFC in regards to the fighter-pay debate. In a conversation with Jeremy Piven, the 36-year-old said that he did not have any issues with the UFC's current pay structure.
For the statement, 'Iron' received backflash from various MMA fans and fighters alike, one of whom was Sterling.
Paddy Pimblett is a rising star in the UFC
Despite being relatively new to the UFC, Paddy Pimblett has gained a lot of popularity among MMA fans around the world.
'The Baddy' made his debut in the promotion in September 2021 when he took on Luigi Vendramini in a lightweight matchup. Despite facing early adversity, Pimblett came through and delivered a spectacular knockout in the first round.
His second fight took place on the UFC London card in March. The 27-year-old scored another first-round win that night, submitting Rodrigo Vargas via rear-naked choke inside The O2.
Pimblett received Performance of the Night bonuses for both results.
The compensation that Pimblett is getting for his fights may not be reflective of his popularity in the MMA world. According to Pimblett, he was paid $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win for his fight against Vargas at UFC London.
It remains to be seen whether Pimblett will get an increase in pay for his next fight or not, but with two strong performances and his ability to attract crowds, he has surely put a strong case for better pay moving forward.