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Paddy Pimblett established himself as a potential UFC superstar with a stunning first-round knockout win over Luigi Vendramini in his UFC debut. The former Cage Warriors featherweight champion will look to join the likes of Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping. Both men won UFC gold following domestic success with the talent-breeding promotion.
Paddy Pimblett has often been compared to Conor McGregor owing to a stark similarity in their personalities. According to many fans and pundits, Pimblett is the UFC's next big cash cow, especially considering McGregor stands at a crossroads in his career.
Both Paddy Pimblett and Conor McGregor got Dana White's attention with their stints under the Cage Warriors banner. While Pimblett held the featherweight strap in the promotion, McGregor was a double champ.
However, it might be too early to compare Paddy Pimblett with the 'Notorious' megastar. That's considering the heights the Irishman has reached in his career. While fans might be comparing Pimblett to McGregor, 'The Baddy' is not delusional. Frustrated by the constant comparisons, Paddy Pimblett told Submission Radio:
“It’s not so much annoying because obviously, he is the biggest star the sport has ever seen. So it’s nice in one perspective, but at the same time, it’s annoying because… Conor McGregor is his own man, and I will be never like him, and he will be never like me. I’m one of a kind… You will never gonna get anyone else like me.”
As Paddy Pimblett rises to stardom, let's take a look at five reasons why he is not the next Conor McGregor.
#5. Unlike Paddy Pimblett, Conor McGregor was a double Cage Warriors champion
Conor McGregor was a star in the making even before we got acquainted with him in the UFC. Conor McGregor was a two-division champion for the Cage Warriors promotion. Paddy Pimblett, meanwhile, only held the featherweight strap.
Conor McGregor defeated Dave Hill via submission at Cage Warriors 47 to win the featherweight title. McGregor then moved up to lightweight and won 155-pound gold with a first-round KO win over Ivan Buchinger at Cage Warriors 51.
Also, unlike Paddy Pimblett, Conor McGregor never lost his Cage Warriors title and signed with the UFC as a champion.
#4. Paddy Pimblett accepts he is nothing like Conor McGregor
Paddy Pimblett himself is tired of his comparisons with 'The Notorious'. Pimblett was riding a nine-fight win streak when he pointed out a fundamental difference between himself and Conor McGregor. According to Paddy Pimblett, he is nothing like Conor McGregor with regards to their interest in making money.
Going into his title fight against Nad Narimani, 'The Baddy' told MMAJunkie in an interview dating back to 2017:
"I don’t like them comparisons. I’m sick of getting told I’m like Conor McGregor. I’m nothing like him. Nothing at all. We’re completely different people. He’s obsessed with money. I’m not. I’m obsessed with being pound-for-pound best in the world. He wants to go fight Floyd Mayweather...well, make it sound like he’s going to fight Floyd Mayweather. Forget about him. We’re talking about me.”
Going by Paddy Pimblett's words, there are some fundamental differences between himself and McGregor. Hence, it is unlikely that their careers will follow the same trajectory.
#3. Paddy Pimblett can't trash talk like Conor McGregor
Conor McGregor is undoubtedly the biggest star in MMA, generating the most revenue and highest ticket sales. A pivotal factor in the Irishman's rise to fame was his legendary trash talk. McGregor, at one point, seemed invincible in the war-of-words. He often decimated his opponents even before they stepped inside the octagon.
Conor McGregor impressed fans with his trash talk right from his UFC debut. At the face-offs in the build-up to his first appearance, McGregor walked up to Marcus Brimage with his hands raised and said:
"Listen, you're nearly 30 years old now [Brimage turned 28 on fight day], I think it's time to stop wearing the superhero mask."
Most importantly, Conor McGregor backed up his trash talk by knocking out Brimage 67 seconds into the opening round.
Apart from the crowd appeal, McGregor's trash talk also affected his opponents. His words often caused them to lose composure ahead of their fights against the charismatic Irishman.
Dustin Poirier, Dennis Siver and Eddie Alvarez were all victims of Conor McGregor's trash talk,. After losing the mental warfare, they were all knocked out. Jose Aldo was the worst victim, rushing into McGregor's left hand just 13 seconds into their title fight.
While Paddy Pimblett has an interesting personality, his trash talk is definitely not at par with McGregor's. Pimblett might be able to hype up fights, but there is little chance of him getting the skin of his opponents quite like the former two-division UFC champion.
#2. Paddy Pimblett is not a KO artist
The likeliness of Paddy Pimblett scaling the same heights as Conor McGregor is small because he is not a knockout artist. McGregor's rapid rise to glory was propelled by a series of highlight reel knockouts, amongst various other factors.
While Paddy Pimblett has finished his opponents in 13 of his 17 victories, he is widely regarded as a talented grappler, rather than an elite striker.
Out of Pimblett's six TKO wins, one came via doctor stoppage and another via submission to strikes. Meanwhile, Conor McGregor had signed with the UFC with 12 career victories, all of them finishes. McGregor knocked out all of his opponents barring Dave Hill, whom he submitted to win the Cage Warriors featherweight title.
Conor McGregor gradually became synonymous with his intriguing striking style, culminating in stunning knockouts. McGregor's 13-second knockout win over Jose Aldo is considered to be a turning point in UFC history. McGregor also proved himself to be a natural knockout artist with his ingenious shoulder strikes against Donald Cerrone.
McGregor's exciting style and KO power made his popularity rapidly rise. Although he found a finish in his debut, it's unlikely Pimblett will develop into the striking phenom that the Irishman was.
#1. Paddy Pimblett is yet to face elite competition
One of the major reasons Paddy Pimblett should not be compared to Conor McGregor is the competition they have faced till now. While McGregor has gone up against the best fighters in the world, 'The Baddy' just made his debut in the largest MMA promotion. It must be noted that Pimblett also suffered a knockdown in his debut against Luigi Vendramini, who is far from being UFC elite.
Unlike Conor McGregor, who joined the UFC as a double-champ, Paddy Pimblett lost his Cage Warriors featherweight title. Without facing much adversity, McGregor went on to become a two-division champion in the UFC, leaving fighters like Chad Mendes, Dustin Poirier, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz and Eddie Alvarez in his wake.
Paddy Pimblett at least needs to go up against a ranked fighter before parallels are drawn between himself and McGregor.
