Former undisputed UFC bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw recently gave his take on rising star Paddy Pimblett.
Dillashaw was featured on a recent episode of “The Schaub Show” with ex-heavyweight combatant Brendan Schaub. During their conversation, Schaub asked Dillashaw for his thoughts on “The Baddy.”
Pimblett, who competes inside the Octagon as a lightweight, is known for gaining a lot of weight in between fights due to poor eating decisions. That’s something Dillashaw has taken notice of. And because of that, he doesn’t see Pimblett having enough discipline to become a UFC champion.
“He’s loving diabetes,” Dillashaw said via Daily Mail. “That’s like a recipe for just destroying your body. I guess there’s one thing if I’m looking at it.
“They can promote him the right way and he might have what it takes to get into the higher echelons of the UFC, but if you keep that same work ethic he has now, then he’ll never be UFC champion. You can’t have that downtime like that, you can’t get that fat and out of shape. It just proves the dedication you need to do what you do.”
Dillashaw Said Pimblett Needs to Treat Fighting as a ‘Full-Time Job’
Dillashaw then alluded to age being a factor in Pimblett’s decision-making.
“I’m not trying to clown on him but that’s something he’s going to have to figure out with age, right?” Dillashaw continued. “He’s young and this is a full-time job. This isn’t a job where you want to be a fighter. You have to be a fighter.”
Pimblett is 27 years old and boasts a professional mixed martial arts record of 18-3. He’s competed twice in the UFC and has won both bouts via first-round stoppage. His Octagon debut came in September at UFC Fight Night 191 and the Englishman drew Luigi Vendramini.
The Baddy knocked out Vendramini and then followed the win up with a rear-naked choke victory over Rodrigo Vargas at UFC Fight Night 204 in March.
A few weeks after beating Vargas, Pimblett shared a video on his YouTube channel of himself weighing 194 pounds, nearly 40 pounds heavier than the lightweight limit.
Pimblett Said He Enjoys ‘Being Fat’
After putting out Vendramini in September, The Baddy also ballooned up in weight. And during an episode of his “Chattin Pony” podcast last year, Pimbett explained that he enjoys “being fat.”
“Everyone keeps commenting s*** like Paddy the fatty and I’m like yeah, I enjoy being fat,” Pimblett said via Sportskeeda.com. “I do, I’d rather be fat and happy than ripped and miserable 24/7… but, lad, like I’m saying these people that are in shape just 24/7 all year around. Like lad go and enjoy your life, you don’t enjoy that. Stop going on like you enjoy living that lifestyle because you’re dying for a cookie though.”
Pimblett is one of the fastest rising stars in the sport. He is a sponsored Barstool Sports athlete and boasts nearly 900,000 followers on Instagram. The Baddy is scheduled to compete against Jordan Leavitt on July 23 in London, England, as part of a stacked O2 Arena line-up.
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Ex-UFC King Has Harsh Take on Paddy Pimblett Becoming Champion