"He'd get smoked" - Paddy Pimblett claims he will submit Conor McGregor in a potential clash
The UFC's newest recruit, Paddy Pimblett, had some words for Irish megastar Conor McGregor. In a recently concluded episode of the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping, the 22-year old predicted how a fight between him and Conor McGregor would go down.
When asked by 'The Count' on what would go down if he and the Irishman stepped inside the octagon, Pimblett said:
"I said it about six years ago in a post-fight interview, he'd get smoked. I'm not even messing, I think like I'll take him down and submit him, with pretty ease (sic)."
The former Cage Warriors fighter stated that he was primarily a wrestler and grappler first, not a striker.
"Yeah, I am. I'm more of a grappler and I'm a black belt. I've got 12 finishes and 7 of them are by submissions."
Listen to the full episode of the Believe You Me podcast with Michael Bisping and Paddy Pimblett as a guest below:
Paddy Pimblett is set to face Luigi Vendramini on September 4. The event has been rumored to be headlined by a middleweight bout between Darren Till and Derek Brunson.
Conor McGregor has often shown vulnerability against wrestlers
Paddy Pimblett's confidence is not unfounded. McGregor has often looked vulnerable against grapplers. 'The Notorious' is primarily a striker and has been unable to show comparable grappling skills.
At UFC 229, Khabib Nurmagomedov made it look easy when he took McGregor down and landed vicious ground-and-pound strikes before finishing him with a neck-crank submission.
Chad Mendes at UFC 189 also showed promise against 'The Notorious.' The American took McGregor down on multiple occasions but was unable to secure victory. The Irishman knocked Mendes out in the second round to become the interim UFC featherweight champion.
Watch Conor McGregor vs. Chad Mendes below:
At UFC 264, Dustin Poirier dominated McGregor in the grappling department. 'The Diamond' took the Irishman down and landed brutal, unanswered strikes at McGregor from full-guard. The fight eventually ended in a TKO via doctor's stoppage win for Poirier after the Irishman broke his leg in the dying seconds of the first round.