‘Everyone Underestimates Me Because I Look Like A 14 Year Old Girl’
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
No one expected Paddy Pimblett to hang with Bobby Green on the feet, which ‘The Baddy’ blames on his deceptive looks.
Paddy Pimblett was the star of the night at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. Not only did he charge up a sleepy local crowd with his rousing first round submission win over Bobby “King” Green, he charged up his bank account with two $100,000 performance bonuses.
The win puts Pimblett in the lightweight rankings at No. 15, a point Paddy made in the cage on the mic.
“That’s a statement to all the haters out there who said I’d never get a ranking,” he said. “Now you’re just going to have to move the goal posts again and say Bobby’s a has-been, Bobby’s finished. Well, I’ve got a ranking next to me name now haven’t I, so suck it!”
Pimblett was surprisingly sharp with his striking against Green, who’s known for being a sniper on the feet.
“People thought that I was just gonna come straight in and shoot in, and I told you all I didn’t need to,” he said at the post-fight press conference. “You know know what I mean? People underestimate me striking. Don’t think I can strike ... I had a striker shooting in on me. You know what I mean?”
That takedown attempt was the beginning of the end for Green, who ended up in a triangle choke with Pimblett cranking his arm (watch the finish here).
“Yeah, I was surprised,” he said of Green shooting on him. “But as I say, everyone underestimates me just because I look like a 14 year old girl.”
Believe it or not, this was 5 minutes before Paddy Pimblett fought at 4:30 am, and you’d never had thought it.
Arena in the palm of his hand.
The confidence is on another level pic.twitter.com/qPF6q5JkM7
— Lewis Simpson (@LewisSimpsonMMA) July 28, 2024
Pimblett was on the verge of becoming a free agent after his bout at UFC 304, and had suggested he was willing to fight an influencer if the money was right. But he confirmed that he had signed a new deal with the UFC instead.
“I’m gonna be here for the rest of my life, lad,” he said. “People took what I said and click-baited it. Obviously, it goes without saying, just like what McGregor did with Mayweather, if you get an offer of a million pounds to go and do a boxing match, you’re gonna do it. But I’ve signed a 6 fight deal, so I’m here for a while. I’m getting some nice wages. Need to get the duffle bag out.”
Pimblett’s performance was all the more impressive considering his coaches were considering pulling him off UFC 304 due to a mental health struggle in training camp. Paddy said it was important for him to bounce back from that and stay on the card.
BOBBY GREEN ALMOST GOT HIS ARM SNAPPED BY PADDY PIMBLETT WHILE HE WAS UNCONCIOUS #UFC304 pic.twitter.com/Ef1nX0moT4
— ACD MMA (@acdmma_) July 28, 2024
“It’s not just to prove it to myself either,” he said. “It’s to prove to everyone else that no matter how low you feel and how dark times are, you can push through it. And as I’ve showed tonight, even though 5 or 6 weeks ago I was in a dark place ... I went out there and put on the best performance that I’ve ever done. I’ve never looked that good in the UFC.”
So good that he took Green out faster than the current lightweight champion.
“My coach has just said they finished them a a second faster than Islam Makhachev,” he said with a smile.
