Paddy Pimblett reveals his favorite MMA fighter of all time
Paddy Pimblett has revealed his favorite MMA fighter of all time.
Paddy the ‘Baddy’ is an upcoming star in the UFC, but his MMA career goes back over a decade to when he was just a teenager.
The Liverpool fighter spoke on ‘The Food Truck Diaries’ and explained his background and how he got into the sport saying:
“Vitor Belfort bingo’d Rich Franklin. I went for a run after that at 6AM, 6AM in the UK I went for a run. It was just so sick to watch. A couple of weeks earlier I’d watched Diego Sanchez vs. Clay Guida in the youth club and I was like ‘I need to try this.'”
Continuing Paddy Pimblett said (h/t Sportskeeda):
“My favorite fighter probably to this day is still Big Nog (Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira). I remember watching him fighting (Bob) Sapp, and he’s just getting battered for like fifteen minutes, and then submits him! And I was just like … wow!”
Speaking of his entrance into the MMA Pimblett said:
“I got into MMA at fourteen, started training at the age of fifteen. Literally, when I had my first fight I knew that’s what I wanted to do. Because I’d done tournaments before that, but as I said, as soon as I done that first fight, amateur fight, and I won it, I was like I know this is what I was meant to do.
I know the date that I walked into the gym: the 20th of January, 2010. Walked into the gym, started training. And fourteen months later had my first fight. And like another fifteen months after that I was turning pro.”
Pimblett (18-3 MMA) is coming off his latest win against Rodrigo Vargas at the O2 Arena in London, UK. Earning another first-round finish he offered up a highlight-reel finish in front of a raucous home town crowd in England. The Brit has a notable record of 6 knockouts and 7 submissions in the cage.
Now fans are eagerly awaiting news of Pimblett’s next fight and speculating on who his next opponent might be. Its expected ‘The Baddy’ will return at July’s event in London.
What do you think of Paddy’s favorite fighter pick ‘Big Nog’? Who would you like to see Pimblett fight next?