Former UFC title challenger Chael Sonnen saw some of his ex-rival Jon Jones in the performance of lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett this past weekend.
Pimblett recorded the biggest win of his Octagon career at the UFC 304 pay-per-view, getting the better of King Green on the main card to secure a ranking for the very first time.
"The Baddy" entered the Octagon in front of his home fans at Manchester's Co-op Live as an underdog and with many backing Green to stall his charge following a close decision against Jared Gordon and failure to finish Tony Ferguson.
But the Liverpool native needed just one round to prove them wrong, capitalizing on an ill-advised takedown to lock in a triangle choke and render Green unconscious.
Among those majorly impressed by Pimblett's efforts was Sonnen, who even compared his ability in the fight to an all-time great...
Sonnen Praises Pimblett For Dealing With 'Street Fighter' Green
During a video recently uploaded to his YouTube channel, Sonnen gave his take on Pimblett's successful outing on home soil this past weekend.
More so than the submission finish, "The American Gangster" was impressed by how "The Baddy" combatted a style and approach he won't have faced in any previous fights or behind closed doors in training.
The ability to do so, Sonnen says, is something Pimblett shares with the consensus greatest of all time, Jon Jones.
(Green) fights like a street fighter. He's got his hands down; you don't know what he's gonna do. He's talking to you! It's like two guys outside a liquor store, truly," Sonnen said. "You know what? Paddy was dealing with it. It's hard to deal with 'cause you can't prepare for it; you can't prepare for it because your teammates don't show up drunk talking trash with their hands down.
Paddy was dealing with it. That is a Jon Jones-esque ability. Jon Jones is the king of fighting fighters that all he has to prepare is video tape," Sonnen continued. "He's got some weird guy that's some kind of a tool that he has to deal with, and Jon doesn't bring in the partners and doesn't have the experience, but he watched him on tape and he came up with a plan because he knows the sport well enough. That's what Paddy just did.
Having caught the eyes of the likes of Sonnen with his latest triumph inside the Octagon, Pimblett will look to continue his development and habit of proving his detractors wrong next time out.
By all accounts, the Liverpool native will be looking to stake his claim for a spot inside the top 10, having secured the #15 spot in the division as it stands. And given his post-fight callout at UFC 304, he'll have a close eye on Renato Moicano and Benoît Saint Denis' upcoming battle in Paris.