Paddy Pimblett on UFC lightweight fight with King Green
Paddy Pimblett (21-3, fighting out of Liverpool, Merseyside, England)
25/07/2024
Paddy Pimblett (21-3, fighting out of Liverpool, Merseyside, England)
25/07/2024
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00:00How do you feel like they are you're always a feature on the UK card so does
00:07this one even feel any different because we're a bit close as a home or is this
00:10just hey another UFC London just in a different place no yeah you're right
00:13it's a but in the north now on a man we're not down south it's on a four hour
00:18drive away to 40 minute drive from me house so yeah we're back in the north
00:23which is nice and I can't wait to blow the roof off this new arena you know
00:28obviously you're fighting Bobby or King green now what are your thoughts on the
00:32name change I know you said that you won't be calling him that but do you
00:35think that just kind of speaks to how quirky a character he is in general do
00:38you think it's a weird thing what do you make of the whole thing itself oh it
00:40shows what a dickhead he is I mean imagine being nearly 40 years of age and
00:45changing your name to King it's embarrassing love I mean grow up in it
00:49like as I said another interview CT is real you've I feel like every time they
00:55put a test in front of you and you pass it the fans kind of want to change the
00:59how important that test was after the fact do you think that Bobby or King
01:02will prove to the fans that you're actually a legitimate lightweight and
01:05something that can climb the rankings because he is still active and he's
01:08still winning fights no no matter what until I get the bells people are gonna
01:13doubt me people are gonna say ah this and that as I said me last fight with
01:17Tony was a lose-lose if I would have lost that would have been I being beat
01:23by a washed-up Tony I dominated the fight but I only beat a washed-up Tony
01:27and I couldn't even finish him know what I mean it's mad like as I said I can't
01:35win obviously I just get on with it because I can't wait to prove people
01:41wrong here though with I've always seen are you'll never be ranked he's not good
01:46enough to be ranked and when I win this fight on Saturday night I'm gonna be
01:49ranked well as I say even in me comments now it's like are the UFC are
01:55giving him another has been like I can't win love no matter what in an
02:01interview Sky Sports you said that a few weeks ago your coaches were talking
02:04about pulling you out of this fight because you weren't in the mental space
02:07to take the fight did you know during that time that you weren't feeling it or
02:11did when they have to tell you hey we don't think you're feeling it that's
02:14when you started to realize no it was a bit of both no I mean I knew there was
02:18stuff going on externally stuff going on in me head and obviously when Paul said
02:25it to me I was upset I was not happy with him I was angry but obviously he's
02:31me coach lad and like me second dad and he's only looking out for my best
02:35interest for since that moment like I've had one of the best camps I've ever had
02:42a couple of weeks out like as I say four five six weeks out I was thinking oh my
02:47god this the worst camp of my life and I'm going into me arguably my toughest
02:50fight but then the last couple of weeks has just been quality I'm looking
02:57forward to getting in the octagon again I'm beating this idiot up you know I think
03:04everyone appreciates that you are open about this subject right but doing it at
03:08this point of fight week you know now that everyone including me is gonna ask
03:11you about it you're almost inviting pressure onto yourself by even being
03:14this open about it is it just something that you feel that you have to do or is
03:18it something that helps you actually talking about it yeah obviously getting
03:21it off my chest helps but like it was Ricky's anniversary two days ago
03:26I mean so been thinking about it a lot more it's been bad again lately another
03:32lad in Liverpool killed himself a couple of weeks ago young MMA fighter
03:36Conor Itchings killed himself like three three months ago and he was younger than
03:40me I mean so I just feel like it's something that needs talking about and I'll be
03:46honest lads seen Sky Sports put that interview up and some of the responses
03:52to it are fucking disgusting lad like people saying I'm just doing it for a PR
03:57stunt like why why would I invite pressure on myself like that for a PR
04:02stunt you know what I mean it's mad like people saying I'm only doing it for that
04:08reason when I know several people who have killed themselves and I've thought
04:13about it in the past so why would I bring that sort of pressure on myself
04:19but again I do it because I feel like I need to and I don't want more people to
04:25kill themselves especially men who just don't talk to people and kill themselves
04:29but like some of the responses to me saying that are like well just kill
04:37yourself then you might as well kill yourself that's what some of the
04:41responses have been lad and other people have been like quoting them and putting
04:45no wonder men don't talk when the responses are like this like one of the
04:50ones that's proper pissed me off is fucking that video people saying I'm
04:54bullying people in Liverpool people saying ah he's a piss head he's on the
04:58aisle and he's bullying people in the pub coked up it's like lad I was two weeks
05:02out from a fight lad do you think I had a drink I had a Diet Red Bull and a
05:06fucking water know what I mean and all them people lad I'm with are my mates I went to
05:12school with them all I grew up with them all that all come on the fight on
05:15Saturday and they all jumped on me ten minutes earlier when Cole Palmer scored
05:20and celebrated on me so when my bet come in and I got a last-minute winner lad I
05:26celebrated on them that's just how the world works lad. Going back to King for now
05:33you said that is so it could be your toughest opponent do you think he is
05:38um well I think Jarrod Gordon still me toughest opponents Jarrod Gordon is so
05:47underrated that it's unbelievable even I underestimated them going into that
05:52fight I'm not gonna lie thought I was gonna run through him and then when I
05:56injured me foot in the first round it was a completely different ballgame
06:00it was me toughest fight to date everyone in here probably still thinks I
06:04lost that fight know what I mean it was when I've watched it back it was a very
06:08very very close fight but I still think I won when you watch it without
06:13commentary I can understand why people think I lost when you watch it with
06:16commentary but Jarrod was a very tough fight and I think Jarrod was beating
06:22Bobby up until the point when he decided to be a ram and flying headbutt him so
06:27yeah Jarrod or Bobby are me toughest fight definitely you obviously had some
06:33beef with Jordan Levitt we all remember the teabagging incident then at the
06:36press conference with Tony you went back and forth to him where does Bobby or
06:39King rank on the beef list for you yeah probably higher than them all because
06:44two and a half years ago when I was sitting with me wife at a show at a UFC
06:50event he was video on the back of me head talking about me then I probably
06:55didn't even know he was at the time know what I mean and he was sitting there
06:59video on the back of me head talking about me and then he started to come out
07:02and say ah you mentioned me Paddy you talk about me no you was talking about
07:08me two and a half years ago lad know what I mean so don't try and spin the
07:12narrative now when you've been wanking over fighting me for two and a half
07:16years going off of that I think your phrase was let's see if he has the balls
07:21to grapple me do you think he actually will try to shoot on you or do you think
07:24no he knows better but the funny thing about that again was people saying oh
07:29he's scared to strike with him that's why he's saying this he's scared to
07:33strike but no I'm gonna come out and try and take his head off his fucking
07:36shoulders but he done an insta story saying anyone can knock anyone out with
07:42a lucky punch but you think you can do something what no one in the UFC has
07:47done let's find out and all that I was like sad if you want to find out hit the
07:53deck and grapple with me let's see what happens because I know I'll drown you
07:58also mentioned you don't think people give you the credit until you get the
08:01belt but you also you know revealed your contract situation is almost up with the
08:05UFC so does that mean fans can maybe expect you to in the UFC some more if
08:09your goal is still the UFC why would I leave the UFC I mean that got so much
08:14out of context like everything I do every single thing I do people spin a
08:19narrative on it and change it know what I mean I can't go for this shit without
08:24people talking about it lad and spinning it saying all this shit on someone's
08:27face know what I mean not an I do cannot be spun out of context lad like I said
08:35what I said in the interview is obviously the UFC I'm gonna get a new
08:38contract but if I got offered millions to box some dickhead youtuber then I'd
08:43do it who wouldn't we're prize fighters but yeah my contacts already getting the
08:47go shift the UFC you're just gonna let me go lad they just fucking messing
08:51Joey here for title sports network ask and you shall receive Paddy those are in
08:57shorts are finally here yeah finally here lad know what I mean
09:02I was slightly pissed off a couple of weeks ago and I got the call from my
09:08manager saying Bobby's picked red I can't have red like what what's going on
09:17here I mean I don't want to wear white or black I want to wear red you can fuck
09:20off I even said to him tell them I'm Dutch so I can wear orange shorts but it
09:27ended up working out all right in the long run laddy he can wear red all he
09:31wants over the years lad when I fought on cage warriors I lost when I wore red
09:36twice and as I said before people think I lost the Janet Gordon fight in red
09:41people think the Tony fight was close in red somehow so I'm glad to be getting
09:48orange back I mean I think I think I want to get a nice finish in it like he
09:52used to do on cage what is Paddy when you look at Bobby's fighting style he's
09:57got very crisp boxing but he likes to drop his hands and we've seen him
10:01receive some bad knockouts due to that is that why you're so confident that
10:05you'll get a knockout against Bobby Green yeah I think he's underestimating
10:09me striking he's underestimating me power a lot like I'll be honest I didn't
10:12believe in me own power until like the last few months like me boxing coach
10:18Chris me coaches in the gym Ellis Paul Adam they've like said to me and even me
10:24sparring partners and that have said to me like recently lad you don't realize
10:27how hard you're it and the fact that you got knocked out last year I think twice
10:34or Dober might have been the year before but Dober knocked him out and then that
10:38terrible stoppage against Jalen Turner where he took so many unnecessary
10:43strikes I just think he's chinny only mean like you come back and he beat Jim
10:48Miller yeah Jim Miller's a grappler and Jim Miller rocked him in the first round
10:52so I know for a fact if I put a hand on his chin or a shin on his chin that he's
11:00not gonna get up off he's gonna be stiff as a board you was discussing those
11:04mental health struggles and in terms of when you're going through a tough time
11:09just talk about how much you value that support network you have around you your
11:14wife your teammates your family helping you through those times yeah I've said
11:19before Adam I wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for me wife without Laura lad
11:23I would have I would have took me life a long time ago but we're there for me
11:28family for me team me mates only man like we had a bad interview come out
11:33yesterday or today I've had about six messages off me mates or me boys who I
11:38grew up with like lad you're alright alright but as I said in that it I feel
11:43good again now and I mean I feel great again a couple of weeks ago I was
11:47getting in touch with Jane who works at James's place which is like mental health
11:52for men where you go and speak I was getting in contact with her to have a
11:56chat with her I mean just try and try and get through it and as I say I did
12:03got through it and I'm ready for anything now and I know Renato Meccano was
12:11someone that you wanted to fight he's now matched up with Benoit Saint-Denis
12:15what do you make of that fight and are you looking for the winner of that one
12:18yeah like to be honest whether Renato wins or loses I'd still fight him like I
12:25think it'd be one of the funniest build-ups to a fight ever I think he's
12:29hilarious and I think a season of the ultimate fighter me and him as coaches
12:32would be absolutely fantastic I think everyone I'd love to see that he's a
12:37proper character lad and yeah I'd love to fight Meccano I'll be honest I
12:42actually I DMed Benoit Saint-Denis about six months ago asking did he want to
12:47come over to England and get some training in I'd go over to Paris and get
12:52some training with him because it's not far away it's only a quick flight and it
12:57would bring both of our games on a lot. Best of luck on Saturday? Yeah you weren't happy when he got putted in on me forward yeah wasn't happy lad.
13:06I don't know if you saw but on November 1st they're gonna do some rule changes
13:12that oh yeah they should 12 to 6 elbows should be legal anyway I mean that I've
13:17always said that it's a stupid rule shouldn't shouldn't be like shouldn't
13:22get disqualified with a 12 to 6 elbow only mean I'm one of them that says John
13:26Jones is unbeaten yeah so you think John Jones should appeal oh I think he will
13:29appeal and that loss will be gone I mean he definitely will appeal and that loss
13:33will be gone and also I'd be changing it so if you just have a hand down you can get a knee in the head still.
13:38You need at least another part of your body to be downed upon so like an elbow
13:42or shoulder and you can't just can't just be a hand yeah I've used that to my
13:47advantage before like I'm not gonna lie I've just put a hand down so I can't get
13:50a knee but I completely understand it I think it is it should be like that it
13:56really should I'm with it I'd be game for knees to a grounded opponent lad.
14:00Know what I mean? I'd be game for that like not stomps but I'd be game for soccer kicks as
14:06well yeah I think it'd make it even more
14:09interesting make it spicier. And then just last one I can't get your thoughts
14:13on the main and co-main event for UFC 304? Yeah obviously I'm back on the fellow
14:16Englishman goes without saying I think Leon, Belal's got so much better
14:22since the first fight but I think Leon was on his way to finishing him in that
14:26fight and I think he gets a finish and obviously I think Tom's coming for
14:31revenge even though that last fight only lasted 20 seconds but Curtis is as
14:35tough as test to date definitely stylistically.
14:39Over here training at Next Gen MMA with the likes of Luke Reilly, Shem Rock, Adam Cole and many
14:45more was it like training with those monsters in the room and who who
14:49replicated Bobby Green in this camp for you? Yeah my sparring part is a
14:53brilliant so I mean I don't really have to go anywhere else to get any spars in
14:57because I have such a talented lightweight featherweight and welterweight
15:01on the mat. To be honest Luke has done his style absolutely fantastic lad on the
15:09spar with Luke, he switches, he goes southpaw form, he has his hands down and all that
15:14like Luke's a big talent coming through and you're all gonna see him real soon
15:20he's gonna introduce himself in a big way and he's phenomenal and he's only
15:24young but also I've got to give a big shout out to Liam Malloy lad, Liam Malloy
15:29he's only a young pro from our gym but he's a southpaw and he's done a lot of
15:36a lot of rounds of me leading up to this and a lot of fight run throughs and I
15:40can't thank him enough as well. And your hair is iconic but against Tony
15:44Ferguson you decided to do braids what are you doing this time out? Yeah I'll be
15:48getting cornrows again it's just it sways people's minds when I get it with
15:53a little punch and my hair goes like that know what I mean as I say when I
15:57watch the Jared Gordon fight back he was hitting me with little shots and the
15:59commentators like oh he's being rocked no it's like no it hardly fucking hit me
16:04know what I mean but because me hair moves like that people like oh he's hurt
16:09when I'm not so from this day forward I will be getting cornrows. Paddy can I
16:16you mentioned the town there that's you know at Next Gen you've mentioned before
16:20that you'd love to fight at Anfield is that something you've discussed with anyone at
16:23Liverpool or anyone at the UFC and and how likely do you think that would be to
16:26happen one day I mean Anfield's hosting you know big concerts this summer I mean
16:29surely UFC would be made at home there? Yeah I've spoke to people at Anfield
16:34about it a lot I've spoke to like the COO of the football club and he's they're all
16:37willing to and happy to get it on know what I mean they want to do it they've said
16:42it to me plenty of times I sit in the legends lounge in the Anfield
16:46when I go the game and like some of the I've been in the boardroom and stuff
16:52like that the way the CEO of the club and that's it and they want to do it
16:58know what I mean so I'd love the UFC to get in contact with them and get it done
17:02would you wait for a title fight or? No we don't need to wait for the title fight
17:07lad I'll sell that out without a title goes without saying and what's in
17:11Anfield now like 60,000 and then seats on the floor be about 70 80 thousand lad
17:15I'll sell that out I promise you now. And your first fight as a father does that
17:21change anything your mentality going into a fight so you're not just doing it
17:24for yourself now and your wife obviously you've got you've got kids at home to
17:27kind of build their future as well I mean does that change your mentality at
17:30all? Yeah of course a little bit it does because it's not just me that I've got
17:35to care about now I've got to put food on the table for me family and that's
17:40what I'm coming to do you know what I mean I'm not gonna let Bobby Green take food out
17:44my daughter's mouth I need to win this fight to propel myself to the next level
17:49and that's what I'm gonna do just as simple as that there's no way you stopping
17:53me from feeding me family.
17:56Paddy just down to you right in terms of what you said before
17:58just in terms of what you said
18:00before in you can't even go to the toilet without you know a story being spun how
18:07tiring is it being Paddy? It's annoying like you know what I mean literally I can't I can't
18:13move lad without people saying I'm doing it for the reason or I've done this or
18:18I've done that I remember when I knocked on that woman's house because my dog had a
18:22shit outside her house lad people were saying that that was staged how can I
18:27stage my dog having a piss out of his arse lad? Know what I mean? How can I stage that lad?
18:33I can't only like people just love to talk shit about me lad and as I said
18:40earlier people love taking things out of context like that video the other week
18:45know what I mean people just took it completely out of context and made loads of lies up
18:51about it where they've all you've got to do is come and speak to me about it and
18:54fact check and I did I spoke to a couple of England fans and explained it to them
19:00and they were all like oh yeah I understand mate know what I mean where people just
19:06jump on the bandwagon of hate because it's popular to hate on me and to make
19:10stuff up about me so I'm used to it lad it's been happening since I was an
19:15amateur at 16 beating people up in a shit hole by ours called the Olympia
19:22anyone else know? We're good?