Getty Images Paddy Pimblett celebrates his second UFC victory.
Paddy Pimblett has responded after being called out by YouTuber turned boxer Logan Paul, who wants to face “The Baddy” in an MMA matchup.
Paul sounded off on wanting Pimblett for his first foray into the MMA world and the UFC lightweight sounds like he’s at least entertaining the idea.
“Everyone loves talking about the bad man,” Pimblett tweeted with a series of emojis. “Nice one fella.”
Pimblett also retweeted tattoo artist Jay Hutton, who wrote: They all want abit of the baddy now don’t they. 2 fights in and the world is shook. Its only the beginning.
They all want abit of the baddy now don’t they. 🤣 2 fights in and the world is shook. Its only the beginning.
Pimblett is one of the hottest names in the UFC, winning his first two fights inside the distance. He knocked out Luigi Vendramini in the first round during his debut and then submitted Rodrigo Vargas at UFC London in front of a raucous home crowd. As he has with his other combat sports ventures, Paul wants to capitalize on “The Baddy’s” popularity.
“They’re saying he’s possibly the next Conor McGregor, right?” Paul said of Pimblett during a recent appearance on The MMA Hour. “He’s super charismatic, he’s entertaining as hell, he’s on the come up, he’s young like me, he’s got a real loud mouth. I just like the way he can perform. I think also, in the off season, he can come up like 25 pounds. The kid blows up in the off season, I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s like someone put a pump in him and [blows him up]. So he can get up to 185 and I can get down to 185 and possibly do a UFC match.”
Dana White Didn’t Close Door on Paul Brothers Fighting in UFC
Logan Paul recently interviewed Dana White on his “IMPAULSIVE” podcast, prodding the UFC president about getting a shot in the octagon.
“Okay, f–k the Conor [McGregor] thing for a second. What about any other fight? Like if I wanted to do a UFC fight? Is that something you’d entertain?” Logan Paul asked.
“I’m not saying no,” White said. Paul responded: “Dana, sign me.”
The 27-year-old elder Paul brother has already staged a high-profile boxing exhibition against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2021 and was part of Wrestlemania over the weekend. White has sparred verbally with the Paul brothers in the past, but isn’t knocking their hustle.
“I’m never completely closed off to anything,” White said. “I used to say that about things, but I don’t say that anymore, because you never know. You never know what could happen.”
Logan Paul said it was after that interview he reflected and ultimately decided that he’d want Pimblett to be his next opponent.
“[Dana White] asked me who I’d want to fight and I didn’t have anyone in mind, and now I’m looking at it and I’m like, okay, if I were to do a UFC fight, it needs to be with someone who can sell tickets,” he added. “Paddy can sell, we’ve seen how he can activate crowds, and he’s still relatively new, he’s young, he’s entertaining. I just think the fans would eat that s–t up.”
Jake Paul Has Called Out UFC Over Fighter Pay
Logan’s brother, Jake, hasn’t exactly been the biggest fan of the UFC, taking issue with the way they pay fighters. That’s a cause Pimblett can get behind, considering he made just $24,000 before bonuses for his last fight, despite being the largest draw on the card.
Jake Paul wants to fight Conor McGregor, with the outcome dictating how the UFC would compensate its fighters going forward.
“Dana – Since you like me now, how about a 1 fight UFC deal to fight Conor. If I win, you agree to my UFC fighter pay and healthcare proposal. If I lose I donate my entire purse to all UFC fighters who make less than $50K a fight and never mention UFC again. Deal?”
The UFC has taken steps to pay its fighters more, including a new “Fan Bonus of the Night” that will be sponsored by Crypto.com and paid out in bitcoin.