Paddy Pimblett speaks exclusively to the ECHO about UFC 304, his hopes of challenging for the lightweight title, and giving back to the city of Liverpool
Paddy Pimblett pauses for a couple of seconds and allows the quiet to take over. It is the only time he has been truly silent during a lengthy chat with the ECHO at his Next Generation Gym in Liverpool’s Fabric District.
It is nearly three months since he defeated American Bobby Green by submission at UFC 304 to extend his record in the company to 6-0-0 and underline his status as one of the exciting fighters in the promotion.
But even after his latest unofficial headline act, this time at Manchester’s Co-op Live Arena, Pimblett affords himself little time to reflect on his remarkable rise since first appearing on Dana White’s promotion three years ago.
“I’m only just getting started, lad,” he says after the pause. “I’ll think about that when I retire. I always say if you’re in this sport and your goal is to make up the numbers, go and play a team sport. Go and do a sport where you can lean on other people because if you don’t want to be a world champion, you’re in the wrong game. It’s as simple as that.
“I want to be a champ. I don’t want to be one of those people who got in the UFC and had a few fights. People who don’t have that mindset aren’t built for this.”
Pimblett is building quite the resume in MMA’s most lucrative promotion, boasting the second-longest active win streak in the lightweight division and four Performance of the Night bonuses from his six UFC bouts since September 2021.
For the 29-year-old, though, this is all part of what he envisioned when he first reached out to White on Twitter as a 16-year-old amateur in October 2011.
“When I first started and had my first few fights – you’ve probably seen that tweet that I sent to Dana [White] when I was 16 – I said I was going to get in the UFC,” says Pimblett. “I’m doing it now, and it’s nice because everyone who laughed at me is f*****g eating their words, and the people who believed in me are telling everyone I told you so.”
Here at Next Gen, Pimblett had been put through his paces alongside some of British MMA’s finest talent, including UFC novice Nathan Fletcher and Cage Warriors duo Liam Gittins and Adam Cullen, although he does not expect to return to the octagon until March.
“I’m not rushing into fights anymore. I would have done it a few years ago. I did it years ago when I won the featherweight [Cage Warriors] belt; I had four fights in six or seven months. When I first came into the UFC, I fought in March, July and December; doing three weight cuts in that amount of time isn’t good for your body,” says Pimblett.
“I felt worse and worse in those fights. I won in the first round against [Rodrigo] Vargas, in the second against [Jordan] Leavitt, and then on a decision against Jared Gordon, which a lot of people thought I lost.
“Two fights a year is probably perfect, especially now I’m in the top 15. I’m hoping [Renato] Moicano is next. I think that’s why I’m not fighting before the end of the year; if he had come out of that Benoit Saint-Denis fight unscathed, we might have seen the UFC offer me that fight.
“I think that’s the fight they want to do next. I mentioned him, and he mentioned me. I think it is the most plausible fight for them to make.”
That, though, hasn’t stopped the Huyton-born fighter from mapping out a route to the lightweight title, currently occupied by Islam Makhachev, should all go to plan against Brazilian Moicano.
“People are saying I’m only two fights away from a title shot; beat him [Moicano] and then someone like Charles Oliveira, and I am next in line for a title shot,” he adds. “I hope to be fighting for the [lightweight] belt in 2026.
“It is the hardest division in the UFC. No division compares to it; no division has the depth that lightweight has; anyone in the top 15 could fight for the title and have a competitive fight with the title holder.
“But the lightweight division has many ageing fighters at the top of it. People always say, ‘He won’t beat [Justin] Gaethje or [Dustin] Poirier’ and I’m like, ‘Lad, by the time I’m in the top five, they will be retired.’
“Even Islam [Makhachev], I don’t reckon he will do more than two or three more defences, he’s done. By the time I’m fighting for the belt in early 2026, he might be gone. I might be fighting for a vacant belt. But we’ll see what happens. This sport is mad. MMA maths doesn’t work.
“You can’t look past your next opponent and like I say, can’t look past Moicano. I think we will have a great fight, to be honest. Styles make fights, and I think we will end up having a scrap on our feet because we both know we’re very good at jiu-jitsu.
“I always say to Luke [Riley], I can’t wait to have a fight like you. His fight against Alexander Loof, I can’t wait to have a fight like that with someone where it is just a f*****g absolute war. And Oliveira and Moicano are perfect for that.”
In the meantime, Pimblett has a different type of fight on his hands as he continues his campaign for mental health to become a less taboo subject among young males, with suicide still the leading cause of death for men under the age of 50 in the United Kingdom.
After defeating Jordan Leavitt at UFC London in 2022, Pimblett shunned the plaudits and instead used his post-fight speech to encourage men to open up about their feelings after losing his close friend, Ricky, to suicide just hours before his bout.
“He killed himself like 36 hours before I fought. I remember getting a phone call at 3am, seven hours before my weigh-in, and I answered the phone, ‘Why the f***k are you ringing me for? Like really? I’m weighing in in the morning.’ And my mate was like, ‘Lad, Ricky has killed himself.’ I couldn’t sleep. I was crying my eyes out,” recalls an emotional Pimblett.
“I told Paul [Rimmer] before the fight that I was going to have to say something afterwards, but I didn’t know what to say. He told me to say whatever came to my heart, and I did. And now, even if one person comes up to me and says, ‘I didn’t kill myself because of what you said. I went and got help’ it means more than a thousand negative comments.
“People can say what they want about me, but what you see is what you get. You’re not getting any different. If you don’t like me, eat s**t. If you like me, I f*****g love you.”
Last month, Pimblett donated £25,000 to James’ Place in Liverpool, an institution that offers free, life-saving treatment to men in suicidal crises.
“When it comes to the mental health stuff, any person in my position should be doing it. I don’t think I’m doing anything extraordinary,” he adds. “I’m just doing what I think anyone should do. I’m just a normal kid from Huyton, lad, and I’ll continue to do it to help other people.”
If you’re struggling and need to talk, the Samaritans operate a free helpline open 24/7 on 116 123.
Alternatively, you can email jo@samaritans.org or visit their site to find your local branch.