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This weekend sees UFC 282 take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in the event’s co-headliner, surging prospect Paddy Pimblett faces Jared Gordon.
Ever since making his UFC debut in 2021, Paddy Pimblett has quickly become one of the promotion’s fastest-rising stars. So, how can the UFC ensure that ‘The Baddy’ stays on track?
Naturally, the promotion can’t outright ensure that the native of Liverpool becomes a star on the level of Conor McGregor, but they can definitely help him along the way.
With that in mind, here are five things that the UFC can do to ensure that Paddy Pimblett’s star continues to rise.
#5. The UFC should allow Paddy Pimblett to fight at home as much as possible
One thing that the UFC could definitely do to ensure that Paddy Pimblett’s rise to stardom continues is to let him fight at home in the UK as much as possible.
Pimblett debuted in the octagon in Las Vegas back in September 2021. Obviously, at that point, the promotion’s travel was hampered by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic has slowed down, the UFC has put on shows in the UK twice, and both times, ‘The Baddy’ has starred.
The fact that the crowds in the UK have been so taken by Pimblett has meant that his star has risen worldwide, not just at home. Therefore, more big crowd reactions for him will only help him to reach the levels that both he and the promotion are aiming for.
Obviously, the UFC can’t put on events in the UK every week, but it’s logical that they’ll travel there at least two or three times per year going forward due to the size of the country’s fanbase. Therefore, they should try their best to ensure that Pimblett features at all of those events.
The next one – UFC 286 – is booked for London in March 2023, which means that ‘The Baddy’ will need a quick turnaround after his upcoming bout with Jared Gordon. Such a turnaround is achievable, though, and so the UFC should try their hardest to get him onto that card.
#4. The UFC should ignore the cynics when it comes to Paddy Pimblett
Just as with any prospect that the UFC looks to push as a star, it’s likely that Paddy Pimblett has more than his fair share of skeptics already.
The cynical view of ‘The Baddy’ is that, in comparison to the UFC’s top lightweights, he just isn’t that good. The skeptics would say that he’s been handed easy fights thus far into his tenure with the promotion in order to protect him, with the hope being that he’ll turn into a star without beating anyone notable.
Is that true? Well, it’s definitely fair to say that he hasn’t been tested against an elite-level foe yet. However, there’s nothing wrong with building up a fighter slowly.
In fact, there’s direct evidence, in the form of bantamweight contender Sean O’Malley, that allowing a fighter to improve their skills by beating lower-level foes before they climb up is beneficial to a fighter.
Therefore, the UFC should shut out the noise and ignore the skeptical views some have on Paddy Pimblett. At the end of the day, those cynics only make up a tiny selection of the promotion’s fanbase.
The majority of them will almost certainly buy into ‘The Baddy’ anyway, and it’s those fans who will likely buy pay-per-views that feature him in action.
It stands to reason, then, that those more casual fans are the ones that the UFC should focus on when it comes to their push of Pimblett, rather than the skeptics.
#3. The UFC should give Paddy Pimblett plenty of microphone time where possible
There’s no disputing that Paddy Pimblett is a hugely charismatic fighter. But like Conor McGregor and Chael Sonnen, one of his greatest attributes is his ability to work a microphone.
‘The Baddy’ is no stranger to cutting what some would call a “money promo.” His interview with Michael Bisping after his last fight with Jordan Leavitt, for instance, which saw him discuss the issue of mental health, instantly went viral across the internet.
Therefore, to ensure that his star continues to rise, the UFC should simply give Pimblett as much microphone time as possible. That not only means letting him cut promos after his fights in the octagon, but also giving him the spotlight in other ways.
The UFC should encourage him to do as many pre-fight interviews with media outlets as possible, and could also allow him to appear on ESPN’s panel during other UFC events as one of the featured analysts – giving him more exposure.
Sure, there’s the chance that such exposure could take away from his fight preparation, but UFC fighters have plenty of downtime anyway. Why not capitalize on Pimblett’s microphone skills and help him to become an even bigger star?
#2. The UFC should avoid throwing Paddy Pimblett to the wolves
If Paddy Pimblett defeats Jared Gordon at UFC 282 this weekend, then he’ll extend his UFC record to 4-0 and his overall MMA record to an impressive 19-3.
If that happens, then there can be no doubt that a number of fans will call for him to step up the ladder and fight an elite-level opponent. However, while this might seem tempting, it wouldn’t actually be a smart idea for the promotion to throw ‘The Baddy’ to the wolves right now.
Firstly, while Pimblett has been impressive in his first three octagon outings, he has shown some holes in his game, most notably in his striking defense. Prior to his UFC career, he also had a tendency to struggle with powerful wrestlers.
It’s clear, then, that the native of Liverpool still has plenty of room for improvement, so why try to rush him up the ladder? After all, he’s still only 27 years old and probably hasn’t even reached his prime yet.
Rather than throw him to the wolves, the UFC should continue to match Pimblett with lower-level opponents – ensuring, of course, that they test him adequately.
If they want to see if his stand-up has improved, for instance, then they should match him with a striker with flaws elsewhere. If they want to check out his takedown defense, then match him with a wrestler, albeit one who has issues in other areas.
At the end of the day, the UFC lightweight division has more than enough fighters to face Pimblett without needing to push him against an opponent ranked in the top 15 just yet.
#1. The UFC should continue to push Paddy Pimblett even if he loses
While Paddy Pimblett is undoubtedly going to attempt to remain undefeated in the octagon, the truth is that everyone – outside of Khabib Nurmagomedov – has to lose at some point.
At some stage, then, whether it comes against an opponent in the top 15, or someone else, ‘The Baddy’ is likely to suffer a defeat. However, how the UFC treats him after this inevitable loss might be key to how far he can rise as a star.
The promotion might be inclined to simply discard the idea of him becoming a Conor McGregor-level superstar and move onto the next big prospect. However, that’d be a mistake.
Look at Michael Bisping, for instance. ‘The Count’ suffered a number of losses on his way to becoming a major star, but even after his defeats to the likes of Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans, the UFC’s promotional machine stuck by him.
Put simply, wins and losses don’t necessarily matter as much as the level of charisma possessed by a fighter and the level of popularity they can ascend to with the fans.
Even if Paddy Pimblett suffers a bad loss, he’ll still have his natural charisma and star quality, so the UFC should continue to push him as such. If they do, it’s likely he’ll rise to the top regardless of his record.
