Paddy Pimblett experienced a range of emotions when he saw Conor McGregor go down at UFC 329.
McGregor’s highly anticipated return from a five-year layoff ended in disaster Saturday as he suffered a leg injury that resulted in him suffering a loss to Max Holloway in just 69 seconds. At no point was McGregor able to show even a hint of the two-division champion he once was and the anti-climactic result left fans wondering whether the soon-to-be 38-year-old will ever regain his prime form.
The UFC released a clip of Pimblett reacting live to McGregor’s loss, and he seemed enthusiastic about possibly replacing McGregor as one of the faces of the promotion.
“What’s happened?” Pimblett said. “Oh my God, McGregor’s done already? Well, he’s finished, the new boy is in town. The main man’s here. I can become the face of the organization now.”
Speaking to reporters at the evening’s post-fight press conference, Pimblett took on a more sympathetic tone when asked about McGregor.
“It was sad to see,” Pimblett said. “But that’s the thing with this sport, you’ve got to stay consistent, you’ve got to keep fighting, and I think where he hasn’t fought in so long, his body couldn’t keep up with it. Coming out and throwing a crazy kick like that, first thing, his knee just collapsed underneath him.
“I feel bad for him. He’s put so much into coming back and getting back in the octagon and that happens in the first five seconds, you’ve got to feel for him.”
Pimblett has been one of the UFC’s rising stars ever since he joined the promotion in 2021. He won his first seven UFC fights, including notable wins over veterans Michael Chandler, King Green, and Tony Ferguson, but fell short in an interim lightweight title fight opportunity against Justin Gaethje this past January. On Saturday, he bounced back in dramatic fashion, needing just 52 seconds to submit the top 10-ranked Benoit Saint Denis.
There’s no questioning the Las Vegas crowd was giving Pimblett a raucous reception all week, so it’s understandable he sees himself as a star that could someday be on the level of McGregor. For now, he’s focused on booking another big fight and eventually claiming UFC gold.
“I want to be a world champion,” Pimblett said. “I want to be undisputed champion of the world. I want to be the first-ever world champion from Liverpool and I’m going to do that. I know that’s in my destiny, I know that’s in my fate, whether it’s in the next fight or the next 10 fights. I’m going to be a world champion. It’s that simple.
“If you want me to fight Justin next, if you want me to fight ‘Posh Boy’ [Arman Tsarukyan] next, if you want me to fight ‘Chorizo’ [Ilia Topuria], if you want me to fight Charles [Oliveira] next, anyone can get it.”
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