"I like people who are authentic and true to their roots" - Former Manchester United player gives his honest opinion on Paddy Pimblett and his team

UFC men’s lightweight fighter Paddy Pimblett and UFC women’s flyweight athlete Molly McCann are amongst the best mixed martial artists in the UK today. Unsurprisingly, the Next Generation MMA gym in Liverpool, where Pimblett and McCann train, has attracted several visitors in recent times.

One such visitor was football legend and sports analyst Gary Neville. The former Manchester United defender, who runs The Overlap YouTube channel, recently spoke to Pimblett and McCann regarding their MMA careers.

Here's a sneak peek:

In a video posted to Pimblett’s Paddy The Baddy YouTube channel, Neville gave his honest opinion regarding ‘The Baddy’ and his team. Neville stated:

“I like going to places where people come from and where they’re passionate about the cities. I like people who are authentic and true to their roots. I don’t think The Overlap works unless you interview someone who’s got personality and character. And they [Pimblett and McCann] have got massive, massive personalities.”

He further added:

“I don’t know if I’m really about the sort of sport that, obviously, Paddy and Molly are in. So, I’m a little bit more nervous today coming. It was just something made me feel so welcome. The first minute I came here, I thought I feel relaxed. It’s been absolutely brilliant, honestly.”

Neville, Pimblett, and McCann joked about the fact that the former footballer played for one of Liverpool's biggest rivals, Manchester United. Pimblett jested that he hated Neville back in the day, courtesy of the Liverpool-Manchester United rivalry, but doesn’t feel that way anymore.

Watch Gary Neville discuss the topic at 2:45 in the video below:

---

Paddy Pimblett and the significance of being a charismatic personality in MMA

Ahead of his much-awaited lightweight bout against Jordan Leavitt at UFC London on July 23, Pimblett slammed the UFC fighters who've been complaining about low fighter pay.

Paddy Pimblett suggested that a UFC athlete should possess both combat skills and an entertaining persona. He insinuated that most fighters lack these qualities and therefore don’t earn big paydays. Pimblett said:

"They're either a boring fighter, got no personality, you know what I mean? It's always stuff like that... they never like, go, 'oh yeah, it's me own fault because [I don't sell] or I'm a boring b***ard', know what I mean? Some people can't talk on a mic but they're a boss in the cage."

Watch The Overlap interview below: