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In late 2022, Sean Strickland unexpectedly took aim at surging UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett in a pre-fight rant ahead of his UFC Vegas 66 bout with Jared Cannonier. During a backstage interview with MMA Weekly, the future middleweight champion unleashed verbal venom on 'The Baddy.'
According to Strickland, Pimblett, who is a former Cage Warriors featherweight champion, amounts to little more than a pale imitation of Conor McGregor. He expressed his thoughts on the 155-pound up-and-comer while addressing the potential reason why he hadn't earned a title yet.
While making a distinction between himself and fighters who receive a promotional push, Strickland claimed he didn't have enough followers or a big enough name to warrant the UFC's attention. It is at that point that he mentioned Pimblett.
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"Oh, yeah, press conferences. I make the f***ing press conferences. Look at Paddy [Pimblett], the f***ing Conor McGregor wannabe. Like, you don't want to see that f***ing guy with his gay little f***ing bowl cut. You can't relate to that f***ing guy. That English little f***ing prick."
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Check out Sean Strickland trash-talk Paddy Pimblett (0:26):
Strickland would ultimately fight for the title three fights later, authoring a historic upset after outworking the then reigning middleweight champion, Israel Adesanya, over five rounds, including a knockdown in round one. It marked one of the greatest upsets in UFC history, and led to Adesanya taking a 10-month hiatus.
Unfortunately, Strickland failed to successfully defend his title at UFC 297, where he was beaten by Dricus du Plessis via split-decision. Meanwhile, 'The Baddy' only just broke into the top 15 with his recent submission win over Bobby Green at UFC 304.
Sean Strickland and Paddy Pimblett had an encounter at the UFC Performance Institute
Fortunately, whatever anomosity there may have been between Sean Strickland and Paddy Pimblett quickly died down. The two crossed paths at the UFC Performance Institute in late 2023, ahead of 'The Baddy's' win over Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. Fortunately, their interaction was amicable.
Check out Sean Strickland and Paddy Pimblett's encounter:
The two men shook hands, before Strickland expressed astonishment over Pimblett's fitness and physique, given how often the Scouser balloons in size during his off-season.
