UFC star Paddy Pimblett has been criticised for refusing to fight a top 15 ranked opponent under his current contract.
Pimblett recently submitted Kazula Vargas at UFC London last month to pick up his second win in the promotion. The Liverpudlian made his long-awaited debut last September, surviving an early scare to knockout Luigi Vendramini.
After his win against Vargas, Pimblett admitted he wouldn't fight a ranked contender unless the UFC offers him a new deal, stating: “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.”
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Former UFC flyweight king Demetrious Johnson has been left baffled by Pimblett's comments. He thinks 'The Baddy' shouldn't focus on money at this stage in his UFC career and should continue to fight whoever the promotion offers him.
"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'," Johnson said on The MMA Hour.
Pimblett, who is a former Cage Warriors champion, turned down an offer to join the UFC in 2016 when he had just 12 professional fights under his belt. He thinks by the time he fights a ranked contender the lightweight rankings will look very different to how they are now.
"I'm going to continue to prove myself right as I climb the rankings," he said. I've seen a lot of people slating me saying I'll never beat the top 15, but do you think half the people who are in the top 15 now will still be there when I'm actually fighting the top 15?"
UFC London marked the promotion's biggest fight night event in history, reeling in a massive £3.4million gate. Pimblett was one of the main attractions on the card, but was only guaranteed £9,000 for his fight with Vargas.
'The Baddy' earned an additional £47,000 in bonuses for his submission win. The 27-year-old, who is targeting two to three more fights in 2022, expects the UFC to offer him a new contract after his next bout.
