UFC legend Demetrious Johnson has criticised Paddy Pimblett for ruling out fighting a ranked opponent until his contract situation is revisited. Pimblett is coming off the back of his second UFC win, with a statement victory over Rodrigo 'Kazula' Vargas, following his first victory with the company over Luigi Vendramini in September.
Like the first fight, Pimblett took a big shot to the face, with Vargas going for the take down. In his fight against Vendramini last year, the Liverpool star was able to regroup, compose himself before landing some huge shots, showing his athleticism, power and striking abilities to knock out his opponent.
At UFC London, Pimblett showed fans his excellence in Judo with an excellently executed hip toss and before using his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to get in position before locking in a rear naked choke, locking it in tight giving Vargas no choice but to tap. The victory sees Pimblett's stature rise further, with the rising UFC star admitting that he could have been the main event himself.
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Athough he's looking to main event a card in the near future, Pimblett also revealed after UFC London that he will not face a ranked opponent until his contract reflects the opposition he's facing.
Pimblett said: "I wouldn’t take a top 15 fight. I’ll be honest, I wouldn’t. Add some more zeros to my contract and then I will. I think I proved tonight that I deserve a new contract. Not this little standard one."
Johnson - arguably a top 10 fighter in UFC history know as Mighty Mouse - criticised Pimblett's refusal to fight ranked opponents, stating that he shouldn't be focused on money at this stage of his career and should take any fight given to him.
Mighty Mouse told Ariel Helwani on the MMA Hour: "Paddy Pimblett, he said 'nah I'm not going to fight anybody in the top 10, top 15'. I'm like 'what? My mindset back in the day when I fought [my coach] Matt Hume says 'we just f***ing fight. That's what we do. We don't worry about the money, the money's going to come. Just keep on fighting, keep on fighting."
Another legendary UFC figure also recently criticised Paddy for his level of opponents. Former UFC referee of 20 years Big John McCarthy claimed the Baddy faced tougher opponents in Cage Warriors.
He said: "I’m not a Paddy hater. I love when you have a guy like Paddy who talks the way he does, who has that game. He’s, I don’t want to say flamboyant, he is boisterous. He’s out there. He’s gotta push the envelope. And if you want to talk about how great you are, I want to see you against other great fighters so you prove it.
"I just want to see him against better competition. I’ve seen him against better competition in Cage Warriors than I’m seeing him in competition in the UFC. Tell me I’m lying.
"I understand why they put him against someone like (Kazula) Vargas, an older fighter. He’s got a good record even though he hasn’t really fought that many quality opponents.
"I totally understand why the UFC put him in the fight that they did. It is their job to create that momentum that when the needle is pushed over to that limit and they can make a pay-per-view around him, they’re going to. And they’re gonna make money, good for them."
