Drew Dober says Paddy Pimblett and his “protectors” shot down a potential fight: “It was a hard no from Paddy and a hard no from those protecting him too”

Drew Dober says Paddy Pimblett and his ‘protectors’ shot down a potential fight.

Drew Dober (26-11 MMA) is preparing for his upcoming lightweight bout with Matt Frevola (10-3 MMA) this coming Saturday, May 6th at UFC 288 which takes place at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

Prior to the Frevola fight being booked, it was rumored that a Dober vs. Pimblett match-up could be next.

It was during a recent appearance on ‘The MMA Hour’ that Dober spoke about the interest he had in getting in the cage with Pimblett saying:

“The talking was all on my end. I wanted to fight him, that would be fun…but it was a hard no from Paddy and a hard no from those protecting him too.”

Concluding, when asked if UFC officials and Pimblett’s team shut down the idea, the 34-year-old said (h/t MMANews):

“Yeah, pretty much. It was one of those internet fantasies where everyone wanted me to fight Paddy, but he’s gonna call the shots and that’s a ‘no’.”

Pimblett  (20-3 MMA) last fought in December of 2022 at UFC 282 where he defeated Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA) via unanimous decision. Since joining the UFC, ‘The Baddy’  is now 4-0 with victories against Luigi Vendramini (9-3 MMA), Jordan Leavitt (11-2 MMA) and Rodrigo Vargas (13-5 MMA).

Currently, the 28-year-old Brit is out of commission due to an injured ankle which required surgery.

Pimblett gave a status update to ‘Sky Sports’ on April 20th and when asked about how long he’ll have to remain on crutches and the length of his recovery he replied:

“Could be another six weeks. I’ve already been on them for six, six and a half… I’ll be lucky to fight this year.”

So whether it was a one-sided interest on the part of Dober or not, it looks like Pimblett may not be fighting anyone this year.

Would you like to see a Paddy Pimblett vs Drew Dober fight in 2024? Do you think Dober could defeat ‘The Baddy’?

Will you be watching Dober vs. Frevola Saturday night?

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