Paddy Pimblett has explained that he is refusing to watch England at the World Cup this year over their criminalisation of homosexuality.
The lightweight UFC star is a massive football fan, and is often spotted at Anfield watching Liverpool, where Trent Alexander-Arnold and Jordan Henderson call home. However, he's not interested in watching them play for the Three Lions after taking issue with the human rights issues that are well documented in this year's host country of Qatar.
Pimblett's best friend is fellow fighter Molly McCann, who is one of the top flyweights in the world and another avid football fan, although she supports local rivals Everton. McCann is a gay woman, and as such would technically be banned from showing affection with her long-time partner if she were to attend a game at the tournament under local laws.
"No, I have not been watching the World Cup," Pimblett told Sport Bible when asked if he had been watching the tournament, where England have made it through to the final eight, up to this point. "I'm not watching that World Cup. Molly wouldn't be welcome there so why would I watch it?"
McCann has taken a similar stance, promising before the tournament started that she would be boycotting over the treatment of homosexual people in the country, as well as other human rights issues. Prior to her fight at UFC 281 a reporter at the pre-fight press conference asked if "it's coming home", to which she replied: "I'm not bothered about that, I'm not feeling the Qatar vibes and all the human rights that haven't gone down there. I won't even be watching it."
Do you agree with Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann's reasoning for skipping this year's World Cup? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Pimblett is currently preparing for his pay-per-view debut on Saturday night at UFC 282 in the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. He faces promotional veteran Jared Gordon in the co-main event of a show headlined by the light-heavyweight title fight between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev.
Meanwhile, McCann has remained relatively quiet since her fight at UFC 281, where she was defeated in the first round by Erin Blanchfield. The American extended her winning streak to seven consecutive fights as she dominated her British rival at Madison Square Garden, ending McCann's three-fight run of victories that had landed her in the top 15.
