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Paddy Pimblett is a unique star in the world of MMA, which brings unique sponsorship opportunities like being named 'Brand Ambassador' for Barstool Sports. The digital media company signed Pimblett to a big money six-figure deal, which must have been nice for 'The Baddy' considering how little the UFC was paying him at the time.
In the latest episode of THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas, Barstool Sports president Dave Portnoy explained how that endorsement came about. He said:
"I had never heard of Paddy 'The Baddy' til he got that - I think this was his first UFC fight - he got caught a little bit, and then knocked the guy out. And I went down a rabbit hole of his highlights. There's something that was causing me to do that. There was something that I was watching this guy, and I couldn't take my eyes off him."
Atlas declared Paddy Pimblett has "the 'it' factor" and Portnoy agreed. He continued:
"After that fight I DM'd him on Instagram and said I'm interested. He probably had no idea. We got connected soon and we did it and it just ... he was just very different. The 'it' factor or whatever it is, there wasn't a UFC guy in a long time where I was just going down every video I could find, every interview I could find, everything about him, as a fan. Like 'Who is this guy?' And he can fight a little bit. So it was the right thing, and we signed his partner in crime Molly 'The Meatball' who is every bit as electric as he is. She had that huge elbow knockout. So it was just gut feel, it wasn't like I was going around saying 'Hey, I want some UFC guys.'"
Watch Dave Portnoy talk about Paddy Pimblett below:
Being a big money sponsor for Paddy Pimblett has its advantages. According to Portnoy, he'll be walking Pimblett out to the cage when he fights Jordan Leavitt at UFC London in July.
Paddy Pimblett is being paid "big money now" by the UFC
The UFC has gotten some bad press over fighter pay recently, most recently after people learned Paddy Pimblett made just $12,000 to show and $12,000 to win for his March 2022 fight at UFC London. Fortunately, the UFC has now sorted out Pimblett's pay.
In a recent interview with Mirror Fighting, Pimblett's manager Graham Boyland said:
“Everybody goes into the UFC on a standard contract. There’s no difference what you do, you have to go and prove yourself. I can categorically tell you now that contract’s gone, that’s gone - he’s on f***ing big money now. It is what it is, but I’m just happy for him.”
It's good that the UFC has gone ahead and paid 'The Baddy' properly. While he's still just a prospect in the tough lightweight rankings, you can't deny his star power. The charismatic Pimblett was clearly the main attraction during the last UFC London, and he's set to do the same for the next UFC London. That kind of attention deserves financial compensation.
