Former UFC champion Michael Bisping says upcoming Liverpool UFC star, Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett, needs to "humble himself".
The 28-year-old, from Huyton, continued his winning run in the UFC after beating Jared Gordon by unanimous decision at UFC 282 at the end of 2022.
Pimblett has enjoyed an eye-catching rise through the Cage Warrior ranks before switching organisations and has established himself as one of the next prospects to become the face of the sport.
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The outspoken MMA star has fans glued to their sets when he sits down for a one-to-one interview or at press conferences - with his last appearance erupting into chaos - as well as in the cage, but Bisping has offered his advice and verdict on Pimblett.
"I think what Paddy needs to do is just humble himself a little bit," the former UFC Middleweight champion said on his 'Believe You Me' podcast when discussing the Liverpudlian.
"Stop with this ‘I’m the new cash cow’ s****. When I asked him who would he want to fight next, ‘I don’t need to say anyone’s name because I am the man. I’m the boy, I’m the cash cow.’ And you’re yet to fight someone ranked."
In the build-up to UFC 282, Pimblett came underfire following his podcast with owner Dana White. As a result, prominent figure and journalist within in the sport Ariel Helwani became a target which resulted in back and forth ahead of the Gordon bout.
His unanimous decision win over the American also caused controversy as many disagreed with the decision, despite the 28-year-old's claiming that it 'wasn't close'.
The 43-year-old added: "When you’re dominating people, it’s all well and good. When you’re scraping by a victory, it doesn’t have the same effect, and it starts to rub people off the wrong way. Nobody in the top ten, certainly in the top five, needs Paddy to give them a rub. Dustin Poirier, Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, these are household names in mixed martial arts.
"They don’t need Paddy to say their name to get a few Instagram followers. The whole ‘pay me for interviews’ thing, I think that left a bad taste in people’s mouths. Again, I’m not hating. I’m just being honest in what I saw."
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