There aren’t many fighters that are able to arrive in the UFC and make an immediate impact by being loved or hated. Even fewer are able to then back it up inside the Octagon in order to make a real name for themselves in the sport.
Two fighters that have done that and continue to produce regular talking points are the biggest star in the history of the sport, Conor McGregor, and one of the most high profile names to follow on from “The Notorious”, Liverpool’s Paddy Pimblett. Pimblett has been openly critical of “The Mac” in the past but the two men ever meeting inside the Octagon seems unlikely.
That being said, Pimblett is continuing to defy expectations with his six-fight win streak in the UFC’s lightweight division which McGregor was formally the champion of. Given the huge profile’s of both men, there’s no denying that a fight between them would be absolutely huge if it even came close to happening.
Though both men have got their critics, it’s hard to argue with what McGregor has done in the sport as the UFC’s first-ever two-weight champion but that was a long time ago at this stage. As a result, a very experienced coach believes that Pimblett would have the advantage over the Irishman as of right now.
AKA head coach Javier Mendez previously cornered against McGregor in the biggest UFC fight of all time where he returned to face Khabib Nurmagomedov. In a recent interview with Canada Casino, Mendez stated that he isn’t confident that “The Notorious” is the same guy that produced some of the most memorable moments in UFC history anymore.
“Paddy and McGregor would be a great fight not just in England but the US too. It’d be a great fight, and I’d favor Paddy because he’s more of a fighter now and I’m not sure if McGregor is anymore. He may come back and prove us wrong but I favor Paddy because of where his state of mind is with fighting. We don’t know if he’s in or out. He might be fantastic in camp but I’m betting not based on what I hear in the inner circles, I’m betting he’s not taking it seriously.”
