UFC bantamweight Sean O’Malley has highlighted a double standard surrounding the reaction to some recent comments made by Paddy Pimblett.
After signing with MMA’s biggest promotion earlier this year, Pimblett made his much-anticipated debut in the UFC Vegas 36 main card opener last month. The charismatic Liverpudlian opened his UFC account against Luigi Vendramini.
In a surprising turn of events, the Brazilian burst out of the gates and actually rocked Pimblett on the feet. Despite initially looking close to securing one of the year’s biggest upsets, Vendramini soon lost control of the fight when “The Baddy” recovered and found his rhythm. In the end, the Englishman secured the first-round knockout he’d predicted pre-fight, and put the division on notice with a memorable Octagon interview.
After his successful debut, attention quickly turned to who Pimblett could face in his second UFC outing. While many have suggested a gradual rise up the UFC ranks and a clash with a name like Jared Gordon, who called “The Baddy” out following his own recent victory, others have pitched an immediate meeting with a ranked lightweight.
Commenting on the suggestion that he should be fast-tracked to the top 15 and be matched with a name like Tony Ferguson, Pimblett recently claimed he wouldn’t agree to fight a top-10 opponent without being offered a substantially more lucrative contract first.
In response, surging bantamweight star Sean O’Malley noted the different attitude members of the MMA community have had towards the Englishman’s comments compared to when he made very similar remarks. In August, “Sugar” also suggested he was content fighting unranked opponents until he begins earning more money per fight.
In a recent episode of his TimboSugarShow podcast, O’Malley questioned why people only agreed with the sentiment when it came from Pimblett, rather than from himself.
“Did you see Paddy said he’s not fighting anyone from the top 10 till he makes six figures. I’m like dude, that’s what I’ve been saying and I got so much fucking shit for that, saying like, I want to get paid more if I’m to fight the top, top dudes. Then Paddy says it and and people are like, ‘Fuck yeah that makes sense.'” (h/t Sportskeeda)
Do you think the likes of Sean O’Malley and Paddy Pimblett should wait for a better contract before fighting top opponents?
