Getty Paddy Pimblett of England celebrates defeating Jordan Leavitt of USA in the Lightweight bout during UFC Fight Night.
UFC star Paddy Pimblett is dead set on receiving the lavish gift promised to Molly McCann and him by Drake.
Coming off a win against Jordan Leavitt, Pimblett scored a third consecutive victory in as many outings under the banner at UFC London last month. Fans in attendance at The O2 Arena were on their feet roaring when Pimblett overcame an early grappling struggle in Round 2 to finish Leavitt by a rear-naked choke submission on the ground.
Along with Pimblett, another fighter who stole the show on the night was his teammate and rising prospect McCann. She replicated her Knockout of the Year-nominated spinning back elbow finish of Luana Carolina from UFC Fight Night 204 in March to secure a stoppage win over Hannah Goldy.
Drake had placed a massive bet of $2.3 million (£1.9 million) on the duo going into the event and cashed out big, courtesy of McCann and Pimblett. He netted an eye-watering sum of around $3.7 million (£3.1 million) and announced that he’d be getting Rolex watches for them after the fight.
When asked by the reporters if Drake had lived up to his word, Pimblett jokingly stated that the rapper “can’t back out” now.
“Hopefully he is coming to Chicago in a few days to meet us there and give us our watches,” Pimblett said, according to an August 2 story in the Mirror. “Molly was messaging him after the fight so hopefully he comes to Chicago and we can meet him. That would be sound.
“He can’t back out on it now, can he? He said he was going to get us a watch so he has to get us a watch.”
McCann Had Asked Drake for a Rolex After UFC London
Following UFC London, McCann stumbled upon the news of Drake’s profits from her and Pimblett’s performance. She took to her Instagram on July 23 to ask the Canadian singer for her reward, saying, “Drake we have just broken your course, lad. Can I have a Rolex please?”
Pimblett also weighed in on the discussion asking for his gift: “Champagne Papi, come on, what are we getting for that?”
.@Drake said he’d get new Rolexes for Molly and Paddy after they helped him cash in $3.7 million on his bets 🤑
(via @meatballmolly)
Drake declared on his social media account that he’d give them the watches. McCann also later said that Drake had accepted her request via direct message on the platform.
“The Baddy” later added: “Molly sent him a video right after it on Instagram and he said he was going to give us both a Rolex, so we are swimming it.”
Pimblett and McCann will likely get their presents during their next visit to the United States, where they expect to link up with the rapper in Chicago to collect their Rolex watches.
McCann Shared Her Thoughts on the Stunning Win
McCann spoke about her triumphant return to fighting with another highlight reel finish. Although she had scored a similar one in her previous contest, “Meatball” believes her latest win meant more.
“It was mad to replicate the same finish but this time I feel like it was magnified because of the likes of Drake putting a £2 million bet on us,” McCann told Daily Star Sport. “There was a lot more eyes on us to see if we were actually who we say we are.
“Me and my girlfriend were washing our clothes and hoovering. We literally changed the world on Saturday and it’s back to normal on Monday morning.”