Paddy Pimblett

In-N-Out snacks. Loving In-N-Out burger. 4x4. Yep. Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable, Jeff. I like everything.

wings wings i love italian food i love thai food italians it's the best yeah pasta we've walked past a few mexican restaurants here what i think look fantastic yeah even like the diners and things like that and then obviously you've got like dunkin donuts and oh you're a big guy yeah well donuts cookies yeah cookies like whatever the cookie dough pie

Oh, I had one of them with some ice cream. Cookies are a big weakness. Lad, them cookie dough pies are the best dessert on the planet. Just unbelievable. I'm just sitting here now salivating over it, thinking, wow, and I have a cookie dough pie. When I get home, there's a shop by ours that does them, lad, big tick ones. I'll be eating them, celebrating.

The highest that I got before this fight was like 88 kilo, which is, I think that's like 193, something like that. You know what I mean?

The last fight when I fought Bobby Green the night before the weigh-in, I was 169.5, so I'd done 30 and a half pounds overnight in the back. Fuck, how much of a toll does that take on you? It's one of them. You've got to have the mental fortitude for it. It's more mental than physical.

A lot of people are bitches when it comes to the bath and want to get out and like, oh, I can't do this.

that sounds fucked as i say you've got to be mentally strong to do it but as i say this is going to be this one's going to be pretty easy for me as i said i've done 30 and a half pound last time and i was heavier at this stage last time a week out i wasn't 172 it was more like 174 175 so this time i'm going to have less weight to cut probably feels nicer yeah that's another thing as long as i've got less than 30 and a half pounds i'm very happy and i know i'm going to have less than 30 and a half pounds

Yeah, I've had a few. It was more when I was making featherweight. When I was fighting a featherweight, two times that I went five rounds as well. When I fought Julian Arosa, I cut 8.3 kilo overnight. I think it's about 18 pounds, something like that, 17 pounds. I cut that overnight. And then when I fought Nad Naramani, I done 16 pounds overnight. I felt like absolute dog shit in the fight.

Against the Rosa after the third round, I gassed and was just surviving for two rounds. And then again in the Nad fight, I was pretty similar. I was just surviving towards the later end of the fight. So doing less weight obviously helps and It'll help me even more because you've seen how jacked Michael Chandler is.

Even though he's very small, he's probably going to cut a lot of weight as well because he's so wide.

That was 2023, the night after my mate killed himself.

Yeah, I still get messages about it now. I mean, people... And when I bump into some people, like, oh, you saved my life, or you saved my mate's life, or my son's life, I'm just like... I didn't save anyone's life, lad. I just said what anyone in my position should say. I feel like people who are in the public eye, anything like that, they should speak about, you know what I mean?

Because people do sit up and take notice. Things like that, that's proper close to my heart now because Ricky took his own life. And as I say, it was 36 hours before I thought it was on.

early hours on the Thursday morning what I found out and then I weighed in the next morning and then fought the next night it was a rough one but it was just I never planned to do that it just it come to my head when I was about when I was doing my talk my post fight interview and I just thought I need to speak about this because the amount of people that you well the amount of men that you hear what kill themselves now it still happens now

News of people killing themselves. A lad who used to train with a San Diego hacker seen he killed himself a few months ago. And, you know, it's heartbreaking. It's tragic. Now, with the Baddie Foundation, I try and help charities or help with men's mental health. There's a charity in the UK called James's Place.

And we donated money to that from my foundation so that they can employ an extra person for two years and they can be a counsellor.

so it's just like a stigma right that like men are supposed to be tough and hard and like they can never feel a way or like is that kind of what it's yeah it's a proper old-fashioned stigma i mean that's it's like saying women should only stay in the kitchen i mean like saying men shouldn't talk it's a thing of the past it's something that we shouldn't be even saying in 2025

Yeah. Like, as I said before, I lost two fights out of three at one point in my career. And I went into the second fight injured. I shouldn't have fought. Went into the second fight with a broken hand. But I felt like the whole show was riding on me. It needed me. Otherwise, it wouldn't have...

it wouldn't have worked and i had about eight teammates fighting on it so i didn't pull out i should have i still fought i had a splint on my hand even like a week before the fight training i had a splint underneath my boxing wraps again i shouldn't have done it but after that fight it affected me bad because in the first round i had a deep reenactment choke on

And if my hand weren't so weak, it would have put him to sleep. But because my hand was so weak, it never, and it burnt my arms out. And I lost the fight over five rounds. So just every morning I'd wake up, my now wife would give me a kiss and go to work. And I'd just lie there crying. Just like, what has this happened? Have I not won that belt?

And I was like that for months and months and months. because of that with my hand I didn't I couldn't fight because I had to have more surgery and I didn't fight for like 18 months I was meant to fight like 14 months later but some fat dickhead weighed in like 9 pound overweight so I couldn't fight

And then, as I said, I ended up fighting for 18 months and then my whole world nearly fell apart again because the weekend I was meant to fight was the weekend that all the COVID restrictions came in. So we had to fight behind closed doors. Luckily enough, Cage Warriors was the first and only sporting event to happen that weekend.

The same weekend that UFC London got cancelled, Cage Warriors did a show behind closed doors, so I was lucky that I even got to fight, otherwise I would have hit a deeper depression. That place where I mentioned before, James' place, without them, I don't know if I'd still be here, because I went and got counselling and went and spoke to someone in there who helped me a lot.

You know what I mean? Like, it's funny because he sat here, my boxing coach, Chris. I remember sitting with him and him saying something like that to me. Oh, lad, you speak about it. It's not as bad. And I sat there and I ended up crying speaking to him. And, like, I woke up the next day and I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

And as I say, I was going to council and stuff like that as well, and I think I told the missus and I told someone else. But even at that time, I had that stigma. I was like, oh, I can't speak to the missus about this. She'll think less of me. I can't speak to me mates about this. They'll think I'm a mushroom.

Yeah, tough and all that. I'm not meant to feel like that, but it just shows that anybody can feel like that. It doesn't matter what war or life you're in or how...

Yeah, you're not wrong. It is a long time in the making, looking forward to this. But yeah, in them last three years, been some big developments in my career and my life. So it's probably better that we've waited a little bit longer. We've got more to talk about. How do you like Miami? I love it. What's your first impressions? It's great.

how hard or tough you are or how confident you are because I am when it comes to fighting I'm the most confident person in the world I don't think anyone will beat me but when it comes to your emotions and your feelings it's a completely different ball game

I don't care who they say, you know what I mean? Whoever I get offered, I say, yeah, I'm never turning a fight down. It's just not in me. I'm a fighter. So when Chandler, he first got mentioned in December with the fight Michael Chandler next, and I was like, yeah, of course I will. It's a lovely jump up the rankings for me. I'm prepared to fight anyone.

Well, now that I've had kids and I've got two babies, I fight for them. Obviously, everyone has that little thing and then when they feel like quitting, they don't want to do no more. I just think of my kids and I think of my opponents and I take food out of my kids' mouth.

and i think no this isn't happening i want to work harder i want to make sure that i am unbeatable that is my main motivation all the lads have said to me since i actually had the kids there's been like a switch in me i haven't noticed it personally because i'm just me but my family my friends meets me coaches my teammates have all said that i'm a lot more focused i'm a lot more switched on i'm trying even harder than i've ever tried and it's because

I've got a wife and two children and all that I need to look after, I need to provide for, and I'm not letting no man beat me and stop me from providing for them.

When I was younger, when I was 21 and I won that Cades Warriors world title, it went to me head a bit. I was going out partying all the time, going out Saturday, Sunday, out till 4.35 in the morning. Then I'd have three hours sleep and get up and go to the gym. And I just wasn't focused. I wasn't all in, like, you need to be in this game. And...

That's why I'm so glad that I didn't go to UFC when I first got offered, because I had to have that realization years ago. I had to have that when I was 21, 22, thinking I was the boy, thinking I was the best in the world already, thinking I didn't need to work or nothing. Back then, I wasn't in the gym consistently 365 days a year.

I was going in for fight camps, and it was focused on weight cuts. I wasn't really focused on technique and getting better, where now I'm in the gym every single day, even after a fight, even when you see me fat.

i'm in the gym every day training i don't miss a session i'm in there whether i'm fat whether i'm injured if i'm watching i'm in the gym saying every day getting better every day i don't have days off anymore like that's why me physique's the way it is now because it's fucking like just as a fan like i can only imagine but it's just the toughest sport to like be at the top compared to any other sport i feel like it's the ufc is just the most competitive thing

Yeah.

I didn't let it get to my head too much in the UFC, but even going into the Jared Gordon fight, what a lot of people think I lost, was a close fight. I thought it was a foregone conclusion. I was going to win. I was already thinking about the next opponent. I had to get my head screwed on a bit more. That was a proper blessing in disguise. I could have lost on that night very easily.

It took a while, a little while for it to get finalised really. I think he was recovering from something and he was trying to push it back to June. It's my daughter's birthday. It's like five days after the fight. So I want to be able to actually enjoy their birthday and enjoy a couple of little months or two off with them and go on holiday and stuff.

A lot of journalists, a lot of MMA fighters, a lot of people think it was a robbery. i personally watched the pack and i think it was a close fight i still think i won but obviously i have a little bit of bias yeah i have a little bit of bias towards myself and it was very close and i was half lucky to get the win that night but that fight changed me like oh really

yeah it really did I'll never overlook an opponent ever again I overlooked Jared I thought this is a foregone conclusion I'm going to win here he fought one of my former teammates and he just about beat him over three rounds and I used to school that teammate every sparring session so I thought yeah it's easy this but styles make fights his style on the night was a good very good style to beat me

I did get injured in the first round I snapped my ankle in the first round so I didn't have much mobility for like 14 minutes that's why I couldn't get out the way of his left hook I kept stepping back and just getting clocked with the left hook because I couldn't move properly but at the same time I can't take nothing away from him Jared Gordon is still my hardest fighter to date 100% like without that fight I don't think I'd be where I am now

If I were to steamroll Jared and then fought someone in the top 15, you never know. My career might be different. I might have got beaten by him.

Yeah, exactly. Everything happens for a reason.

I think he's a mad one, to be honest, because he hasn't fought since he got beat by Murab, has he? Mm-hmm. Sean's a star. He's one of the biggest stars in the sport. Probably got one of the most followers out of everyone. He's pay-per-view. People want to see him fight. You think he has a chance to beat Murab? Yeah, especially if he comes in with some adjustments.

His abs quality, lad. His cardio is ridiculous. It really is. He's probably got the best cardio in the UFC at the minute. I've read something that he does five rounds in the back before he comes out and fights, which wouldn't surprise me. He made Umar look silly in the later rounds. He schooled him in round three, four, and five. He really did make him look silly.

So, Marab's going to be a tough one to be for anyone. Never mind Sean O'Malley or whoever. Marab's going to be a tough champion to take the belt off. If anyone can do it, Sean O'Malley can. You know what I mean? He knocked Aljamain Sterling out and no one thought he was going to do that. Yeah, let's see what happens. I think it'll be a good fight.

I just said I'm fighting April 12th, whether it's Michael Chandler or not, and he stepped up to the plate.

I still want to see Sean O'Malley versus Peter Yan too. That would be good. That was a scrap, the first fight. So, I'd love to see.

Yeah, if PTM wins another fight, he's definitely number one contender. Yeah. Because he's back number three or something like that, number four.

Yeah, he's not. No disrespect, Bilal, but you're not.

It's one of them, though. Like... The best fighters in the world have the belt. It doesn't need to be a star. It's just the best fighter in the world has that belt. I think Sean Brady's a brilliant fighter. If JDM doesn't win, he's next in line. There's still Shavkat. Shavkat's also in line for the title, but he keeps getting injured. Or Belar got injured the first time.

so welterweight's gonna get a shake up i think like the belt could change hands multiple times at welterweight if islam goes up there too yeah if islam goes up you never know he could win the belt maybe he's bit like if he can if he can wrestle fuck some of them people at welterweight like he's taking that belt he is because power for power number one in the world at the minute like i've got the toughest division to try and take the belt from

lightweight's always been the most lightweight's always been yeah apart from light heavyweight years ago when I was growing up when you had like Rampage Shogun Rashad that was what light heavyweight Forrest Griffin yeah those were the days they were the days that's when I was really started watching UFC that's when I first started watching UFC Machida yeah all of them yeah

I know what you mean with Pereira losing the belt. The UFC probably didn't want that to happen because he is a big star, Pereira. That was the first fight I've watched him live as well, and he got beat by Ankalayev. It's one of them. The best in the world are going to have the belt. That's just the way it is, especially with the UFC. It's not like boxing where you have five different belts.

He's well-rounded. His main thing that you've got to watch out for is power in his hands. You know what I mean? He comes forward and he throws big, big left looks, big overhand rights. As soon as you get punched in the face, he just wants to have a brawl and I'll be using that against him. I was saying this yesterday and I don't see where he can beat me. He...

You have one belt in each weight class, and they are the best in the world, whoever has that belt. But I don't think you need to have a belt to be a star. Definitely not. Definitely not. Not me. I'm only ranked 12. But I've got like three and a half million followers. But I've got more followers than most champs have. And then even Ilya now, he's a star. But he hasn't got a belt.

He's a big star too. You know what I mean? Kamzat. Everybody loves Kamzat. Kamzat hasn't got a belt. Stuff like that. I don't think you need a belt.

Yeah, definitely.

It's got to happen. I was sitting next to Tom the other week at the UFC in London and talking to him about it. I'm like, it's got to happen. There's no way that can't happen.

I'll be honest, Tom's a friend. Thank you very much.

Thank you. Thank you.

Only way he's going to beat me is if he throws a Hail Mary punch and it knocks me out. But I don't get knocked out, lad. So I can see me just dismantling him and beating him everywhere. And I can see me beating him more convincingly than Poirier, Gagey and Charles did.

Thank you. I don't know.

I don't know. Thank you. Thank you.

Yeah, so did Gagey. Charles went five rounds. Gagey went to decision with him. Poirier submitted him in the third. And in the first fight with Charles, he dropped him in the first and nearly finished him. But then Charles TKO'd him in the second round. But as I say, they've all made hard work of him. They've all made a tough fight. Most of them have been fight of the night.

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No fight of the night coming this time. I'm getting performance of the night after a fast finish.

Yeah. Like crazy. It is. It's going to shake up lightweight in a big way. I still get called a prospect, you know what I mean? So once I beat Michael, that's going to change. I'm not going to be a prospect anymore. I'm going to be a contender. I'll be coming and taking rank seven.

I'll be in the top seven fighters in the world behind Islam Makhachev, and I'll be asking for a top four fighter after that. Arman, Justin, Dustin, or Charles. I want to fight one of them. I just want to beat one of them. I'll be number one contender.

I mean, we've only been here for less than 48 hours and it's a great city. It's probably my favourite city. This and San Diego, I think are my two favourite cities.

He's changed his nickname to a shit nickname, hasn't he? Like Legend or something. Should have changed it to El Chirito. Would have been well for you.

what do you make of his like evolvement because that was that was a long time ago and now he's kind of leveled up like yeah but we always knew he was a good fighter now what i mean like that's sort of what pisses me off about him even though i hate him and i think he's a bellend I wouldn't lie and say he's a shit fighter because he's not, but that's what he says about me.

And it made me laugh when he said, what did he say? He called me fat. I was like, lad, you can't make your weight division anymore that you are champion of and you're trying to call me fat. He's a midget, lad. He's tiny. He's smaller than Michael Chandler. You'll see what I do to Michael Chandler next Saturday night when I dismantle him. And it'll be a very similar game plan to meet Ilya.

That fight's got to happen. That's a fight that you can have as a pay-per-view main event with no title on the line. That gives me, like, chills just thinking about that. The press conferences and shit, that'd be crazy. Yeah, the press. They'd have to do a world tour for that, like they did with Aldo McGregor. That'd be fucking hilarious. Yeah, Ilya, you know, it's there any time.

Know what I mean? Any time, lad.

Yeah, it is. I've said that a few times. Like the old guard of the lightweight division, they're all on the way out. You've got Chandler who's 38, you've got Dustin, Justin and Charles who are all 35 and older. I think even Danocher might be 35, Moikano's 38, Darius is 38. In the next two or three years, the top 10 is going to look completely different.

The only person in the top 10 I can think of who's under 35 is Armin Sorukian. He's just a little posh boy who's had everything handed to him on a silver platter by his dad.

That's what you are, Armin. Little pussy boy.

And then he was doing videos where he flips forward on his neck.

And then he's saying that he's got a bad back. Dana said, didn't he? It was Dana shot him down in that interview. It was like, whoa.

that's heavy that you don't want the boss saying that about you but because he got Aston near his arm and still number one and he was like no he's going to have to go back to the drawing board he basically said that like doctors come out and header the best masseuse in the PI come out and they never said to him you can't fight he decided he's not going to fight

So basically, Armin, you shit your pants. You know what I mean? That's what you did. You farted and followed through and had shit coming down your leg. So that's basically what happened.

I make it electric anyway, you know that.

That's what I was about to say. I read something just yesterday saying he's going to wait until the Bilal-Jack de la Magdalena fight. And see how that plays out. Yeah, and if JDM wins, he's going to go up and fight for that belt. But I don't think the UFC would strip Islam or make him vacate the belt like they did with Iliya.

Wouldn't surprise me if his lamb does move up after this, because he deserves it. Beating Volk, beating Poirier, and then Volk again. And I know the Moicano one was very... You went pretty hard on Moicano, right?

You know what I mean? Did you say he should have just went to sleep? Yeah. He's never going to get that opportunity again. He's never going to fight for the lightweight title again. He shouldn't have fought for it that time. He didn't deserve it, but he got the title shot.

If I got a title shot like that on 24 hours notice, even if I got a title shot on eight weeks notice, I am not going, I'm not tapping in a choke. In an arm bar or a knee bar or a kimura where your arm's going to snap or you're going to have a career-threatening injury, yeah? But when you go to sleep, you just wake back up. So go to sleep, go out on your shield, Don't be a little bitch ass.

And tap in like three seconds. Like, I just, I didn't get it. And then he clapped back and he said this and he said that, but want to be Chandler, my car, and I was in the rear view. You saw Ilya like recently, right?

Yeah, I've been in quite a few pitches already, been getting some very nice words spoken to me. I can't wait to walk out. I was saying yesterday on an interview that Chandler trains in Miami. And if it was anyone else fighting him, he'd probably be an away fighter and get booed.

Yeah, it was quite funny because in the back, all the UFC security was like... looking around like that and then he's come out and started walking towards where I was and as I say all UFC security is shitting themselves and then he's just looked up at me and went so I've just started laughing to myself and went and done it back so obviously then when he was out on stage

I thought can't argue with him here he's just saluted me in the back and being alright and obviously my little mate was fighting Nathan Fletcher so I didn't want to take anything away from him so as I walked past him I just like thought what can I do here I just felt like that it was quite funny to be fair if he was playing 3D chess he would have won because if it was rock paper scissors lad he went like that but

yeah he said something in an interview after like we weren't in our fighting roles or something like that but you know it would have just caused absolute havoc on the stage would have been murder yeah and I'm not one of them I'm not like him I wouldn't punch someone when they don't expect it or try to punch someone when they don't expect it like he did to me I'm not like that you know what I mean I wouldn't steal it on someone I'd let him know and then I'd punch him in the face would you say this is the biggest fight of your career oh yeah definitely the biggest fight of my career

It's been a slow progression. But my whole career has. Apart from when I was younger. Because I had my first amateur fight when I was 16. And then I turned professional when I was 17. Because I had no amateur fights left to do. I'd beat everyone. At first, I was going pretty fast. I won a world title when I was 21. But then I lost twice.

And then I moved up in weight and my body, I was still too small for the weight class. And I had to grow into my build. And since then, we've took it pretty slow. You know what I mean? We've just took it step by step. I got off of two UFC contacts before I actually signed. I got off of the contract when I was 21 and then got off of the contract when I was 23.

And I didn't actually sign until I was 26.

I knew I weren't ready, to be honest. We spoke about it with my coaches, and I wasn't. I was still a child, still a child fighting men. And I know for a fact if I would have come into the UFC at that time, I probably would have got ragdolled by men, where I was a very small fighter. I wasn't big at all. And I had a lot of holes in my game, a lot of things that I needed to work on.

And over time, we've worked on it. And...

When I got offered the first contract, I got offered the new Cage Warriors deal. And that deal was worth more than the base contract for the UFC. And I done a lot with that money, you know what I mean? I saved that money up over years to get a house deposit myself, pay my mum's mortgage off, done a few things like that. And that money done a lot for me over them years.

So I'm very grateful to Cage Warriors. They set me up for the start of me.

adult life really because that was when I was 21 when I first started getting that wage when I first signed for the UFC I took a pay cut because as you know the UFC starting deals 10 and 10 I signed for a pay cut my first two fights were 10 and 10 and 12 and 12 and then obviously after my second fight I got a new deal and it went up

No. I think anywhere I go, when my music comes on, everyone just wants to be a part of the party. The Paddy Party. So... It's just gonna be like any other night.

Well, now I've got a new contract again, so I'm getting more money to fight. Yeah, I have sponsors outside of the cage and other things like that. My two main sponsors are Undrana, what I've got on now, I've got that.

Yeah, it's a heavy sponsor, lad. Great sponsor. I got that and I've been sponsored by a nutrition company called Applied Nutrition for two years now, three years. They're my two main sponsors. They're where I get my money and outside of fighting.

Yeah, yeah. It used to be with barstool. That deal was unbelievable. You know what I mean? But it was when Dave bought barstool back for $1 because the parent company had it first, had it before Dave bought it back. They had it in debt, I think. You know what I mean? Where they just wanted to do the sports book.

so when they fought it back he cut a lot of jobs and cut a lot of thing you know to make sure it was making profit again right and he just said like obviously i'll always be here for you anything you need just let me know but the sponsorship was gonna run one thing you're always famous for too is your your weight cuts and like how you used to fluctuate and in weight like crazy are you still gaining weight like that in between fights like you used to

Holy shit. I was like 96 kilo. But like that's... A lot of water and like keeping all of it because I weighed myself again on the Friday after a week of training and I was like 90 kilos.

I normally walk around about... 185 to 195. Walk around about that. Right now, I'm only, like, 172. This weight cut's going to be pretty easy, to be honest, compared to what the ones have done in the past.