UFC currently has two fighters estimated to be the next Conor Mcgregor. One of them is Bantamweight ‘Suga’ Sean O’ Malley and the other one is Lightweight Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett. Unfortunately, recent events risk putting their legacy in jeopardy.
‘The Baddy’ had all the hype in the world going into his recent fight. But shocking everyone, Jared Gordon put up a wonderful fight. He pretty much dominated Paddy for the first two rounds and took the fight to the cageside on the third. The judges decided to flip the script and gave all rounds to Pimblett.
To understand Paddy’s rapid loss of fans, we should first discuss how he managed to gain them. While the British fighter mainly attracts people with his unique banters and vibrant antics, he is also a decent fighter. The former cage warriors champ defeated his first 3 UFC opponents pretty convincingly.
UFC Fight Night 208 saw him go against Jordan ‘Monkey King’ Leavitt. After winning that fight, Pimblett delivered a very emotional speech where he shouted out some departed souls he cared about. He also talked about men’s mental health and advised men to talk about their problems instead of killing themselves.
Fans were already impressed with ‘The Baddy’s shenanigans but seeing his human side made him relatable. His fourth opponent Jared ‘Flash’ Gordon had an incredible backstory of his own. Coming from a life of drugs, violence, and abuse, many fans were rooting for Jared.
Paddy’s issues began in the UFC 282 preview show he did with Dana White where he attacked journalist Ariel Helwanil. Many fans thought he was doing all this just to impress Dana. His comments about fighter pay weren’t appreciated either.
After the Jared Gordon fight, Pimblett not only refused to give Gordon any credit but also wrote off critics as ‘Haters’ His brash attitude rubbed many the wrong way and this is probably why many are abandoning the Paddy Hype Train.
