Paddy Pimblett has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to Conor McGregor after receiving a wave of attention with just two UFC wins under his belt.
Pimblett picked up his second win in the promotion this past weekend when he survived an early scare to submit Kazula Vargas in London. The event will go down in UK MMA history after drawing a $4.5 million gate and ranking as the biggest Fight Night in promotional history.
Those record-breaking figures are a testament to Pimblett's star power after just two fights in the promotion. His meteoric rise is similar to that of McGregor's, who took the UFC by storm in 2013 before winning world titles in two different weight classes.
So let's look at how Pimblett got to this point...
Starting out
Born and raised in Liverpool, Pimblett went to an all-boys school that several other top sportsmen from Liverpool such as Steven Gerrard and David Price attended. He admitted that he didn't like school and used to often sell sweets and drinks to make money.
Pimblett first stumbled across MMA when watching UFC 103 in 2009, when Vitor Belfort knocked out Rich Franklin. Motivated by what he saw, Pimblett explained how he went straight for a run in the early hours of the morning and was eager to take up the sport.
"The first one I stayed up live for was Belfort vs Franklin, Belfort knocked him out in about a minute and I went for a run afterwards," he told James English. "I went to Next Gen on January 20, 2010 and as they say the rest is history."
First stepping into the Next Generation MMA gym in Liverpool as a skinny 14-year-old, Pimblett admitted he was badly beaten up by a woman in Thai boxing. His coaches quickly realised that despite having no experience, Pimblett excelled in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and had a natural talent for grappling.
Cage Warriors
Going 9-0 as an amateur, Pimblett turned professional as a 17-year-old in 2012 and won his debut by first-round knockout. After a flying triangle submission win and another knockout, he was signed to the top British promotion Cage Warriors just a year later.
He suffered the first loss of his MMA career two fights into his stint with Cage Warriors after being submitted in 35 seconds by Cameron Else. The loss sparked a fire under Pimblett's belly as he won consecutive fights at bantamweight before moving up to 145lb to win his featherweight debut.
Pimblett had a brief stint for another UK promotion in Full Contact Contender, winning his first world title as a professional and defending it just three months later.
The UFC reached out to Pimblett the following year after he returned to Cage Warriors and captured the vacant featherweight title. He admitted that he turned down the promotion as he didn't feel ready for the move up in competition with just 12 fights to his name.
Pimblett never regretted his decision, apart from when he lost to Soren Bak in 2018. He admitted to being in the lowest point of his career after the loss after needing surgery on his hand that put his fighting career in question, but three years later the UFC would come knocking again.
Early UFC career
Next week will mark a year to the date that Pimblett was signed to the UFC. The Covid-19 pandemic delayed his debut, but when he got the chance Pimblett wasted no time in making a statement by knocking out Luigi Vendramini with his post-fight interview also going viral.
Reflecting on his decision to turn down the UFC's offer six years ago, Pimblett admitted he was still a "child" when the promotion first reached out and he was glad he didn't sign with them.
"I'm glad I never took them up on the first offer when I was 21," he told Metro. I may have got beaten up by men. I was still a child then. I still had a small body, no muscle at all. I still looked like I had just come out of school. A lot of people mature younger but I only matured about a year, two years ago. I had my last growth spurt then. I’m finally a man now.
Pimblett has been called out by several fighters such as Ilia Topuria and Ottman Azaitar after his latest win. It's unclear when 'The Baddy' will fight again, but after suffering no serious injuries against Vargas he could be back sooner than expected.
Will Paddy Pimblett go as far as Conor McGregor? Let us know in the comments section below
Future fight?
It's clear there are a lot of similarities between Pimblett and McGregor. The pair are both former Cage Warriors champions who have single-handedly captured the attention of UFC fans with their flamboyant personalities and exciting fighting styles.
Will the two ever fight in the future? It's unlikely, with Pimblett stating he doesn't even want a top-15 ranked opponent until he gets some more wins under his belt and signs a new contract with the promotion.
Pimblett admitted that he would take a fight with McGregor in a heartbeat despite wanting to slowly build up the calibre of opponents he faces in the UFC.
"Who wouldn't be interested in that fight," he said. "If anyone on this roster got offered to fight Conor McGregor they're saying yeah. You're getting pure dough and pay-per-view points, get that cash money in yo."
McGregor is poised to return to the UFC in autumn having spent the better part of a year on the sidelines after breaking his tibia in his last fight. The Irishman also refused to rule out a fight with Pimblett at some point down the line.
"He's a good kid Paddy, you've got to love the scousers. One side of my family is from Liverpool, so I've got a lot of love for that part of the world. Who knows? I will never say no to nothing. Never say never as they say," he told Seconds Out.
