Paddy Pimblett Interview: I’ll Crush Gaethje & Bring UFC Belt Home

In an exclusive interview with CoinPoker, Paddy Pimblett vowed to annihilate Justin Gaethje and return to Liverpool as the UFC interim lightweight champ. He also fired a warning to Arman Tsarukyan and sympathized with Tom Aspinall over his eye poke saga…

Key highlights from the interview:

• Gaethje fight will be EXPLOSIVE – zero chance it goes to the judges
• Xmas camp will be tough – no cheese & crackers for the Baddy!
• Arman Tsarukyan is so BORING – but if he slaps me, he’s getting KO’d
• Tom Aspinall deserves sympathy – Gane is a known for poking eyes
• Ian Garry deserves title shot BUT he needs to finish his opponents

CoinPoker: How are you feeling after the announcement of your upcoming fight with Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in January? 

Paddy Pimblett: I’m feeling great. I’m just getting all sorts of filming done nice and early for this fight. It’s the biggest fight in my life. We’ve still got eight weeks to go but everything is flying so far. 

CoinPoker: The news last week came as quite the shock to UFC fans, how are you feeling about it all?

Paddy Pimblett: I can’t wait. Obviously I wanted it to be for the undisputed belts against Ilia Topuria. But I’m still going to be a world champion once I beat Gaethje and lift that interim belt up.

CoinPoker: How did they contact you and let you know that it was on? 

Paddy Pimblett: Well it wasn’t such a surprise for me when it got announced. Because obviously I knew and I’d already been told it was happening. I thought I was going to be fighting Topuria. But then obviously he’s got personal issues, so he needs to sort all that. I’ll leave him to sort all of that out. I wish him nothing but the best. Once I beat Justin, I’ll be going to take the real belts off Ilia. 

CoinPoker: With just eight weeks to go, how are you feeling about a Christmas camp? 

Paddy Pimblett: This is the earliest I’ve fought. I’ve fought in late February before, but I’ve never fought in January. So it’s going to be a rough Christmas dinner! There will be no cheese and crackers afterwards and stuff like that. I’m going to have to do a long run that day. 

CoinPoker: With Topuria stepping back, do you think he’s running from you? 

Paddy Pimblett: I wouldn’t say he’s running, like he’s got his reasons. I’ve never experienced anything like that so I don’t even really want to talk about it to be honest. He’s obviously got something going on in his personal life so if he doesn’t feel like fighting then that’s on him. So yeah, me and Justin will put on a show for everyone and I’ll bring that belt home and then me and Ilia will finish what we started. 

CoinPoker: How long before the fight are you going to go out to Vegas?

Paddy Pimblett: Just under two weeks probably. I’ll go normally around 12 days before something like that, usually the Tuesday before. We’ve got nothing booked just yet so we will see over the next few weeks what the plan is. 

CoinPoker: Do you think AJ is a bit mad taking this fight with Jake Paul?

Paddy Pimblett: Eddie Hearn said that he could take 1 million for another warmup fight or take 50 million for this warmup fight. So any sane man is going to do the same thing. 

CoinPoker: Your win last April was your career-best performance. Are you a bit annoyed that you haven’t fought again this year or does it not really matter to you now that you’re fighting in January? 

Paddy Pimblett: No, obviously now that I’ve got another fight lined up and a big fight, it’s not as bad, but the last couple of months it’s been annoying me and I wanted to fight twice this year.

But as I say, I was thinking I was going to fight Justin in Abu Dhabi in October and then he said no, and everyone else was matched. With everything else going on in UFC, there was nobody for me really to fight.  And it was only Justin. So then when he said no, I was quite annoyed. But then obviously everything’s unfolded the way it’s unfolded and now fighting for the interim title. So it’s all been worth the wait. 

CoinPoker: Why do you think he changed his mind?

Paddy Pimblett: Because the belt is on the line. He said he wasn’t fighting unless there was a belt on the line. If he fought before it would have been to see who would be the number one contender. But now he’s accepted it because the title is on the line and he’s going against me so he’s not going to win anyway. Then I’m going to fight Ilia for the undisputed title. 

CoinPoker: You’re 30 now, do you think you are in your prime right now, in your golden years? 

Paddy Pimblett: The next couple of years are the golden years. I always say I didn’t mature till I was a bit older. So my prime’s going to be a bit later, which is probably like now until like 36. So I think that’s where you’re going to see the best years out of me. In the next couple. 

CoinPoker: Tom Aspinall has been diagnosed with a rare condition in both his eyes after the fight against Cyril Gane. It’s not good news for him and it kind of justifies his reaction after the fight?

Paddy Pimblett: He’s just been poked in the eye by a man who’s like 265 pounds, six foot six. He’s a big, big man. He’s been poked in the eye by him and people are like, “oh he should have carried on.” Well, he’s been vindicated even more so now, he’s actually got something terribly wrong with his eyes and people were giving him sh*t when it was the right thing to do, not to fight. I feel sorry for him, he has been given a lot of stick over that and it’s completely unjustified. 

CoinPoker: Do you think the UFC needs to change the gloves?

Paddy Pimblett: Yeah obviously, I don’t know why they just don’t adapt the pride gloves because they bought pride out and pride never used to have eye-pokes because they had a curve in the gloves. I don’t know why they haven’t got the same curve in these gloves. They bought pride out so surely they can use the same gloves but just put a UFC badge on them. They should do that and there needs to be more harsh repercussions for people who do eye-pokes because I’m not saying Cyril Ganes is a dirty fighter, but he’s known for it. If you’re known for eye-pokes anyway, he should have had a point taken off there that at least, it was like his second time that he’d done it. I saw one the other night as well, pretty similar, he got poked in the eye and then he got kneed in the balls and it was two proper fouls and the ref never did nothing. But it’s one of them, every ref’s different. But I think from now on when certain fighters are eye-poking when they’re known for it, they should be getting points deducted.

CoinPoker: Do you think the refs just need to clamp down on it and be a bit more on the ball? Because they’re not exactly overly proactive.

Paddy Pimblett: The worst example of that was when Germaine de Randamie hit Holly Holm twice after the bell and somehow never got a point taken off and if she would’ve got a point taken off, it would’ve been a draw. She rocked her by punching her after the bell twice. She ended up winning the belt and wouldn’t defend it against Cyborg so got stripped anyway when the fight should have been a draw, should’ve had at least a point taken off. 

CoinPoker: Luke Riley, someone you train alongside, he just made his UFC debut in Qatar. Just how far do you think he can go? Do you think he can beat any of the top 15 Featherweights already?

Paddy Pimblett: I think he can beat some of the top 15 featherweights right now. He’s a phenomenal talent and I’ve been saying since day one when he started in the same gym about five, six years ago when he was about 20, 21 and the striking is absolutely phenomenal. He could strike with anyone in that featherweight division, it’s as simple as that. His punches, his kicking, his knees, his elbows, because he’s done boxing and Muay Thai throughout his life. He’s been fighting Muay Thai in Thailand when he was about nine years old, so he’s just got it and he’s going to be a world superstar. He’s just going to keep knocking people out and people are going to start taking notice more and more and being one of my teammates probably helps him out even more, which is even better. So he’s going to be one of the biggest stars in the sport, it’s as simple as that. I hope people take notice of what I’m saying because he’s going to the top. It’s destiny. 

CoinPoker: Do you think Ian Garry deserves the next Welterweight title shot after being Belal?

Paddy Pimblett: He’s put himself in the right position to get a title shot and he’s ranked two. He’s a great fighter, don’t get me wrong, Ian Garry’s a brilliant fighter, my coach has said for a while that he thinks Ian Garry will end up being Welterweight champion of the world and I do think so myself over the next couple of years, he’ll definitely hold that belt at some point because he is a phenomenal fighter. But as you know, the UFC loves finishers and I think he’s won six fights in a row by decision. So that’s just going to hinder him, I think if he did get given the title shot next, it wouldn’t be undeserved at all. He deserves a title shot, but it’s just the fact that he doesn’t get finishes, they might not give him the title shot because the UFC love finishes, they want entertaining fights. I think that’s why I’m fighting Justin Gaethje for the interim title, they like entertaining fights. You don’t want people who just go to decisions constantly. 

CoinPoker: You don’t think you and Justin’s fight is going to go to the judges then, you think that someone’s getting knocked out?

Paddy Pimblett: Yeah, someone’s getting finished, hundred percent that’s not going to judges. But as I say, it wouldn’t surprise me if Ian got it next. because he is ranked two behind the former champ. It wouldn’t surprise me if they did Garry vs JDM (Jack Della Maddalena), that’d be a spectacular fight. But the Welterweight division now is full of killers. There’s Shavkat, Michael Morales, who looks unbelievable, there’s Carlos Prates who’s a knockout machine and he is one of the funniest dudes I’ve ever met in your life, I’ve chilled with him, he’s brilliant. 

CoinPoker: Did you have a word about Molly McCann, did you catch her fight this weekend? 

Paddy Pimblett: Yeah, I watched it the other night. I don’t understand how the judges give the other girl two rounds. I was a bit flabbergasted there. I thought she won every round quite easily and then when they read the decision out, 58, 56, I was looking at the television like, what?

CoinPoker: How did you rate her performance overall though?

Good, obviously she’s only just got into it, she boxed before she ever did MMA, she boxed and won the ABAs as an amateur when she was younger. Obviously transitioned over to MMA and she’s been doing it for 10 years so transitioning back to boxing definitely can’t be the easiest thing to do when you can’t kick, knee, elbow or take down, so it’s a lot different for her, but she’s adapting well already. She’s 2-0, two easy wins, so hopefully she keeps the wins coming and she can end up winning a World Title in boxing.

CoinPoker: Is that something you could ever see yourself doing further down the line? A bit of a Misfits or something?

Paddy Pimblett: If the money’s right, lad, you never know. I could, but I don’t know if I’d lower myself to that, but If the money’s right, just like the AJ thing, if someone’s offering you that amount of money to do something easy, you’re going to do it. Of course, once I’m retired, I can see myself on the silver screen.

CoinPoker: Have you been taking any acting lessons or do you think it just comes naturally?

No, I don’t need acting lessons, I’m good.

CoinPoker: What do you feel motivates you more in the long term, like winning belts and securing your legacy or making more money because it is a short career at the end of the day?

Paddy Pimblett: Yeah, it is a short career, but that’s why I’m earning money outside of the UFC and MMA. Some of my sponsors, Under Armour are my main sponsor now and I do a lot with them and they do a lot of stuff for me. And obviously I have other sponsors as well, I’ve been doing little adverts and stuff like that, so I’m earning money outside of the UFC just as I am in it. Obviously without the UFC I wouldn’t be getting these possibilities. So it’s all thanks to the UFC, but in the end you become your own entity and once I’ve won this belt, and then beaten Ilia Topuria and won the undisputed belt, I’ll be my own business.

CoinPoker: What did you make of Conor Benn’s victory over Chris Eubank Jr.? 

Paddy Pimblett: Doesn’t bother me at all boxing. Nine times out of ten, boxing bores me. The last fight I watched was Crawford Vs Canelo, because they’re two of the best fighters in the world. And I predicted that one. I said Crawford would win. But I didn’t watch Benn Vs Eubank. I’m not too bothered. Not a big fan of either of them. So I didn’t go out of my way to watch it. Found out that Benn won. He doesn’t want to have a trilogy either, which is a bit weird. Everyone said Eubank looked like sh*t though.

CoinPoker: Would you ever consider someone like 50 Cent walking you to the ring for your fight?

Paddy Pimblett: No, I’ve got a walkout song, lad. That’ll always be my walkout song. The only way I think it’d happen is if Jamie Webster sang me out and it was at Anfield and he sang You’ll Never Walk Alone. That’d be awesome.

CoinPoker: You said you don’t want Arsenal to win the league, what have you got against them? 

Paddy Pimblett: Their fans are unbearable, lad. They think they’re f**king Real Madrid.

CoinPoker: So if you’ve got a choice, you’d rather Man City win the league?

Paddy Pimblett: All day! I’d rather Man City win it with another Aguero goal in the last game of the season. That’d be f**king unbelievable. 

CoinPoker: Have you been down to Anfield recently for any of the games? 

Paddy Pimblett: Yeah, I’ve been there for plenty of games. I was meant to go to PSV on Wednesday, but luckily enough the wife had Pilates, so I had to watch the kids and missed us getting done 4-1. And then obviously the Forest game, I would’ve been there, but I was in Qatar. 

CoinPoker: What’s next for Arman Tsarukyan, do you like him? 

A: The stare-down at the weigh-in, he headbutts Hooker and nearly ruins another main event. He’s just been fed everything on a silver platter his whole life. He can’t control his emotions. What are you doing headbutting someone at a weigh-in? That just shows what an idiot he is. And he nearly ruined another main event. And if he were to have cut Dan Hooker there, the fight was off. 

And now he’s b*tching now like, why haven’t I got the title shots? It’s because you can’t be trusted with it, lad. You’re a liability. You think because your family’s got money lad, you can get away with doing whatever you want. You can’t. So he needs to shut up and remember his f*cking place. No one wants to watch him fight. He’s an absolute nit. He’s boring to watch. Charles Oliver doesn’t have boring fights and Arman Tsarukyan made a fight with him boring. 

He looked alright the other night against Dan Hooker, but he made that fight boring too. Dan Hooker can’t defend a submission to save his life and can’t get a submission to save his life and he nearly submitted him, so it’s one of them. Arman can sit at his, eating caviar for breakfast, crying his eyes out. I don’t give a f*ck. He’s a nobody. He can sit out for another year and wait. He might be number one in the rankings, but he can eat sh*t. He’s a boring b*stard lad.

And then he is trying to talk sh*t about me to stay relevant. And it’s funny, he said in the interview, when I see Paddy I want to slap him. Lad, you’ve just seen me last week in Qatar. You never did a thing. I jumped in the back of one of your photos, you had the big team photo and I was walking past in the background, you know what I mean? Won’t do a thing lad. He wants to act big and act like that, but if he tries to slap me, he’ll get knocked out. He’ll be shooting in for the take down because that’s all he can do. He’s all talk though. He’s all mouth, no action. He’s an absolute sausage. 

CoinPoker: Let’s have a quick word about Leon Edwards. Some people have called him to retire after three straight losses. I know it’s not for you to tell him what to do, but if you’re in his situation, would you be looking at hanging them up?

Paddy Pimblett: No, that’s it. It’s not for anyone else to tell him that. He’s his own man, and if he wants to retire, he can retire. But as I say, it’s on him. No one can tell anyone when he should retire. If he wants to retire, then he can retire, but obviously three losses in a row, it doesn’t look good for him. But I like Leon. Leon’s a cool dude. I’ve met him several times, he’s sound. But it’s the way he’s lost as well. He lost the decision to Belal, but then he got submitted after being dominated by Brady and then being knocked out by Carlos Prates bad. I don’t know. As I say, it’s not for any other man to tell a man when to retire, but he’ll definitely have at least one more fight and obviously we’ll see how that fight goes. And then he could be hanging his gloves up. You never know though. He could come back and look absolutely unbelievable. 

CoinPoker: Who’s on your Mount Rushmore of British MMA fighters?

Paddy Pimblett: I’ve got to have Bisping, that goes without saying. Do you just go with the title holders, the people who’ve won the belts? Do you go for Bisping, Edwards, Leon? And then the first fighter to fight for the belt in the UFC, Dan Hardy. Or do you go old school? Obviously Bisping, no matter what, but then if you go old school you’ve got Ian Freeman, Lee Murray and for me, Rosi Sexton first ever woman in the UFC. Whichever one you want to do, you can do either.