Paddy Pimblett may not be running into Jake Paul tonight, but he could have to confront his professional wrestling rival MJF.
The lightweight faces Jared Gordon at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas in the co-main event of UFC 282 tonight, and will have a number of interested viewers watching his latest outing. And while Paul has been banned from the promotion's events, he could still end up running into a rival in Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the All Elite Wrestling champion.
Pimblett and MJF have been going back-and-forth on social media over the past few weeks, with the wrestler telling the Brit he'll "see him in London". And according to reports, it seems that he will now be heading to Las Vegas, and attending the pay-per-view event at cageside.
"I wouldn't be shocked if the AEW world champion shows up on December 10 in Vegas," MJF said in a recent interview with ESPN. And reporter Marc Raimondi, who conducted that interview back in November has reported that sources told ESPN that the wrestler will be in attendance for tonight's fights.
Pimblett and MJF got into in the comments of an Instagram post recently, with the Scouser accusing him of taking steroids and calling for a UFC bout with the wrestler. They also teased the possibility of getting into the wrestling ring for a match when AEW comes to London's Craven Cottage next year.
"When yous come to Fulham's ground (Craven Cottage), get your boss Tony Khan to message my boss Dana White and see what we can sort," Pimblett wrote in one Instagram comment. "Because I know full well you won't pass a USADA drug test to fight in the UFC."
Would you like to see Paddy Pimblett make a move into professional wrestling to face MJF? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
MJF clapped back in response, saying: "Unlike you, I'm 100 per cent natural and I'm also 100 per cent original. Unlike you. You're dollar store Conor McGregor talking, Will from Stranger Things looking a** wouldn't last two seconds in my world. #BetterThanYou [his famous catchphrase]. See you in London."
The wrestler also claimed in that ESPN interview that his profession, in which athletes compete in pre-determined matches, is more difficult than Pimblett's. "I'm sick and tired of people talking about pro wrestling as if it's some f***ing stunt show," he said. "The fact of the matter is Paddy 'The Prima Donna' Pimblett would not last two seconds in a professional wrestling ring with me. Maybe not even one.
"This fat, moon-faced pr***, Will-from-Stranger-Things-looking a****** dollar store Conor McGregor decided he needed to chirp up and say, 'Oh, wrestling is fake. Let me tell you something. We are real fighters. They are prima donnas."
