Having seen a portion of the fanbase turn against him, UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett expects to reverse that at the expense of Bobby Green.
Pimblett broke onto the scene in a big way following his UFC signing in 2021, winning his debut via knockout and subsequently recording two memorable submissions on home soil at London-held UFC Fight Nights in 2022.
But just as his following grew and rise to stardom accelerated, the tide appeared to turn when "The Baddy" made his pay-per-view debut opposite Jared Gordon in Las Vegas later that year.
While all three scorecards went in his favor, many cried robbery and began to dismiss the Liverpudlian as a legitimate threat to those high up the 155-pound ladder. And having suffered a foot injury, Pimblett had to wait a full year to answer his critics.
Last December at UFC 296, he remained unbeaten by getting the better of former interim champion Tony Ferguson. But having once again gone to a decision, and given the length of "El Cucuy's" losing streak entering the bout, the result appeared to do little to stifle "The Baddy's" detractors.
He'll have another chance to do so at the upcoming UFC 304 pay-per-view event in Manchester, England, where Pimblett is set to share the Octagon with ranked opposition for the very first time.
And with a violent victory over Bobby "King" Green on July 27, the former Cage Warriors champ expects the "fickle" MMA fans to start backing him once again...
Pimblett: It's 'Popular' To Hate On Me Right Now
During a recent interview with Ben Fowlkes for Yahoo! Sports, Pimblett looked ahead to his opening assignment of 2024 and first outing on home soil in two years.
When asked about some of the backlash he gets from the fans for topics ranging from in-cage performances to weight gain in-between his Octagon appearances, Pimblett suggested that it's simply "popular" to speak negatively about him.
But with a dominant and emphatic display at the expense of Green at UFC 304, "The Baddy" expects his former supporters to return.
Haters are gonna hate. I don't give a f*ck what people on the Internet say, lad. I see people comment stuff all the time," Pimblett said. "It's a popular thing at the minute to hate on me. Ever since that Jared Gordon fight, it's popular. Before that fight, I was the best thing since sliced bread. I was great, everyone loved me. Then I have a close decision that three judges decided I won — not me, I didn't pick the winner — and everyone turns on you.
That's the thing in this sport, lad. MMA fans are so fickle. It's one of them. I come out in this fight and knock Bobby Green, everyone will be back on side," Pimblett added.
Pimblett will look to make good on his promise to finish Green inside the distance. More so than regaining fan support, that's in order for "The Baddy" to debut in the lightweight rankings and begin his planned four-fight path to the title.