Getty Paddy Pimblett
Former UFC middleweight-champion-turned commentator Michael Bisping is a fan of Paddy Pimblett, but he doesn’t know how feasible “The Baddy’s” promise of headlining a stadium show is.
Pimblett recently scored the biggest win of his UFC tenure, submitting Jordan Leavitt during the promotion’s return to London on July 23. Pimblett is arguably the sport’s fastest rising star, and during the post-fight press conference, The Baddy said it was the last time he’d fight at the O2 Arena, calling it “too small.”
Instead, The Baddy said he’ll one day fight at Anfield, a soccer stadium located in his hometown of Liverpool. The O2 Arena can sit up to 20,000 fans, whereas Anfield can boast over 50,000.
Pimblett also told the media that the UFC wouldn’t place him on a free Fight Night card again.
“I know for a fact now I’ll be fighting on pay-per-views with Jon Anik, Joe Rogan and [Daniel Cormier] commentating,” Pimblett said via MMA Fighting.
“We will do Anfield,” The Baddy continued. “I promise you now. [UFC President] Dana [White] said he won’t do Anfield, but he also said women will never fight in the UFC, and Ronda Rousey came along. He said he won’t do a stadium in the U.K., but The Baddy’s come along, so he will.”
Bisping Said That Since Conor McGregor Hasn’t Had a Stadium Show, Pimblett Won’t
Well, during a recent iteration of his “Believe You Me” podcast, Bisping said that he doesn’t see Pimblett fighting inside a stadium since the sport’s biggest superstar, Conor McGregor, never has.
“If Conor McGregor never got his stadium show, which he hasn’t, I don’t think Paddy is going to. Paddy is a great star and god knows where he’s going to go to, he’s huge but McGregor’s by far the biggest star in the sport,” Pimblett said via Sportskeeda.com. “The man’s an absolute phenom, love him or hate him. He never got a stadium show.”
The UFC has never done a stadium show in Europe, let alone the UK. The UFC has virtually always stayed away from hosting shows at outdoor stadiums, besides at the Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, Australia for UFC 243 and UFC 193.
Pimblet has a professional mixed martial arts record of 19-3, earning six wins via KO/TKO and nine by submission. He’s competed three times as a UFC combatant, going 3-0 with three finishes. At 27 years old, the lightweight is riding a five-fight win streak.
Leavitt Called His Experience Fighting Pimblett ‘Kind of Annoying’
Leavitt knew when he accepted to fight Pimblett in London that he’d be walking into hostile territory. And to “The Monkey King,” the whole experience from more “obnoxious” than anything, detailing what it was like while speaking on “The MMA Holes” podcast.
“They were all Paddy fanboys and everything, so it was more obnoxious as opposed to feeling cool. Because it’s almost like, if his attention was unwarranted, I definitely felt like my attention was unwarranted,” Leavitt said via Sportskeeda.com. “So it’s not like I thought this fight was a big deal. And I didn’t think he was that big of a deal. So for me it all seemed kind of annoying because it all seemed so manufactured. So it was hard to feel excited about it.”