by King Hazard
When assessing the world of MMA, the sport is certainly lacking a few characters at the moment. Gone are the days when Conor McGregor was flying the flag for fighters and winning over audiences with his unique pre-fight build-up and excellent trash talking. These days, though, McGregor appears to have lost his way, paving the way for a new star to be born and, essentially, become the new cash cow for the UFC.
One up-and-coming fighter who is being compared to “The Notorious” is Paddy Pimblett, a Liverpool-born former Cage Warriors featherweight champion who managed to see off Luigi Vendramini on his UFC debut with a glorious first-round knockout. Pimblett has the personality to match McGregor, and he’s an exciting fighter to watch – two crucial ingredients needed to sell big fights and become a world-famous star in the sport. But can the Scouser really be mentioned in the same breath as Conor McGregor yet?
Of course, with one fight under his belt, Pimblett certainly has a long way to go before we can use his fighting record for comparison with McGregor’s. He certainly has a lot to accomplish in order to match McGregor and even other fighters in the sport, much like legendary female fighter Amanda Nunes, for example, who is currently priced at 2/15 with this betting site in UK to see off Julianna Pena in December. Unlike Nunes and countless other fighters, Pimblett has a way to go to justify the hype surrounding him. For starters, he needs to put on more performances like he did on his debut.
Below is a look at some other reasons why comparing Paddy Pimblett to Conor McGregor is not entirely accurate.
Conor McGregor was a double Cage Warriors champion
Even before he made the jump up to the UFC, McGregor was a star just waiting to be born. The Irishman was a two-division champion for the Cage Warriors promotion, leading to plenty of hype surrounding him before he went on to reach the heights that he did. Pimblett, on the other hand, only held the featherweight strap and failed to dominate, like McGregor did.
The cocky Liverpudlian has even played down the comparisons himself, recently saying: “I don’t like them comparisons. I’m sick of getting told I’m like Conor McGregor. I’m nothing like him. Nothing at all. We’re completely different people. He’s obsessed with money. I’m not. I’m obsessed with being pound-for-pound best in the world.”
Pimblett hasn’t got the same trash-talking skills
Maybe it’s down to lack of big-fight experience or he simply doesn’t have it in him, but it appears as if Paddy Pimblett hasn’t quite nailed the trash-talking aspect of promoting a fight yet. Signs are there that it could improve, but McGregor was known for it and tormented his opponents, such as Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver and Eddie Alvarez, before they’d even entered the Octagon. Love him or hate him, that’s area Conor McGregor certainly mastered.
Pimblett is yet to face elite competition
When you’re an instantly recognisable face from the world of UFC, then that’s generally because you’ve taken part in some hugely memorable and massive fights, just like Conor McGregor has done over the years. Of course, it isn’t Pimblett’s fault as to why he hasn’t fought an elite opponent, yet given his inexperience, but it is exactly why the comparisons between the two are extremely premature. Until Pimblett takes out strong competition, the McGregor talk needs to be put to one side. The potential is there, though, but potential is all that it is.
Stay Connected