Before the 28-year-old “Baddy” burst onto the UFC scene, he was well-known for his rich and entertaining career in the England-based promotion, Cage Warriors. Pimblett was the Featherweight champion at a time in Cage Warriors before eventually challenging for Lightweight gold and sticking with the heavier weight class as he progressed his career.
In hindsight, had some alternative and better financial options been available to start his career, Pimblett admits he’d have strongly considered a different direction. At the same time, it would have only been a stepping stone to get to where he ultimately wanted to be.
“Yeah, of course, it would have been a tougher decision,” Pimblett told Severe MMA. “I was looking at walking away at 4-1 because I wasn’t getting paid enough. I was gonna quit MMA when I was 18 because I wasn’t getting paid anywhere near enough. I was getting paid like [$620] to fight, something stupid like that. It wasn’t enough.
“I can understand a lot of fighters now that are going to PFL and are going to Bellator, but if you’ve got a dream that you want to be in the UFC then I think 99 out of 100 MMA fighters, their dream is to be in the UFC,” he continued. “No one gets up in the morning and goes, ‘Ah, I want to fight for Bellator, mate.’ Or, ‘Ah, I want to fight for PFL.’ The only reason people go to PFL is to try and win the million dollars with easier fights.”
Ironically, the vast majority of former UFC fighters who have departed and joined PFL, specifically, have found minimal success. The four-fight annual tournament format has been described as one of the more grueling in the sport by those who have gone through it.
You have to hope this kid is raking in all the cash he can right now, because he’s definitely talking himself into a corner if he washes out of the UFC.
He can grapple and he has half decent offence on the feet he’s just not great anywhere really and has absolutely woeful defence , he also seems to be a retard, it’s a bad mix , as soon as he touches top comp in the UFC he will get absolutely melted and I can’t wait to watch it.
I think OP is saying that with Paddy’s comment, he is suggesting that fighters compete in those promotions for money, and not to fight the best guys they can fight.
The Paddy quote says that he would have strongly considered doing the same thing himself if the option was available to him, but he still would have wanted to eventually be in the UFC as that is the ultimate dream of most fighters. That’s a far cry from downplaying Bellator/PFL and their fighters.
It’s true, if anything. Chandler, Alvarez, Overeem, and Askren all wanted to go there before their careers were over, Will Brooks walked out of Bellator as champion to go there, AJ McKee has indicated that he wants to go there, etc. Those who are happy to never go there, such as Fedor or the Pitbulls, are definitely more rare.
As for the OP, he’s goofy, but now I see that the title actually comes from MMA mania, so I can’t blame him for it. LOL.
