Paddy Pimblett‘s dominant win at UFC 314 was a statement to the division. But most importantly, it was a staunch slap on the face of his doubters. The dominance launched him into the top 10 of the division, and another win could see him possibly finding himself in the title picture. But some would argue that his journey into the upper echelon at 155lbs included fights against just a couple of ranked opponents. Even fellow rival Arman Tsarukyan has called out Pimblett for going through an “easy route” in the UFC.
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting fighters after UFC 314, Pimblett may be undefeated in the UFC, but the two ranked opponents he fought were King Green and Michael Chandler. In addition, he also has a win over former interim champion Tony Ferguson, but we all know that it was that ‘El Cucuy’ who was already on a massive losing streak, and not to mention, unranked as well. Moreover, the trio of veterans was in their late 30s, which is past their prime. So did Dana White feed ‘The Baddy’ some easy opponents? Well, Khabib Nurmagomedov‘s team’s head coach, Javier Mendez, refused to believe that any fighter in the UFC is a pushover. Moreover, Pimblett’s route was something, but it certainly wasn’t easy!
“In the UFC, there is no easy route. You know, all those guys are killers. So, for us to say, ‘Oh, they gave this or that.’ Hello? Any one of those guys can beat you at any one time,” Javier Mendez stated on his YouTube podcast. For a coach who has trained several champions and is part of perhaps the best team in MMA, to say that could hold some truth. After all, Adriano Martins, who handed Islam Makhachev his only loss, didn’t quite have the career that the reigning lightweight champion has gone on to have. However, the AKA head honcho claimed that everything is about how a fighter navigates his career.
“So, there is no easy route. They just calculated where the route might be the best for him to become successful. Now, he’s at that point where now he’s meeting the alpha dogs. Now it’s time to [level up],” Javier Mendez added. “Actually, if you think about it, Michael Chandler is the alpha dog. So, he [Paddy] already met one and conquered it… I don’t think he [Chandler] was over he hill [when it comes to his age]. I refuse to believe that.”
While suggesting that Pimblett is a force to be reckoned with, Javier Mendez ended the conversation by saying, “Michael Chandler was still good, and he took care of him. So, Paddy’s the real deal.”
April 12, 2025, Miami, Fl, Miami, Fl, United States: Michael Chandler and Paddy Pimblett meet in the octagon for a 3-round bout at UFC 314 – Volkanovski vs Lopes at Kesaya Center on April 12, 2025, in Miami, FL /PxImages Miami, F,l United States – ZUMAp175 20250412_zsa_p175_412 Copyright: xLouisxGrassex
Well, Paddy Pimblett may have a brash persona who’s an animal inside the cage, but when he’s not in fighting mode, he has shown to have a good heart, too. ‘The Baddy’ would check on his opponent after the fight last weekend, which earned him some praise and some fans on social media who stumbled across a clip of his brief interaction with Michael Chandler. Meanwhile, there was some more footage of Dana White having a brief interaction with Pimblett and even shared his honest thoughts on the lightweight star’s performance during the post-fight presser. Here’s what he had to say!
Dana White will ‘stop counting out’ Paddy Pimblett after UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett’s demolition of Michael Chandler had Dana White utterly impressed. When he bumped into the 30-year-old backstage, the UFC CEO congratulated ‘The Baddy’ for shutting his critics up again and again. “Oh dude, wow… Everybody keeps down you, man,” White told Pimblett. He’d echo the same sentiment while addressing the media in the aftermath of UFC 314, and presumably sees him as a star in the making.
“People keep counting him out, but he keeps looking better and better and better every time he shows up. Yeah, Paddy Pimblett showed tonight that he is the real deal,” Dana White stated during the post-fight press conference. “Beating Michael Chandler, and beating him with the way that he did, how you can doubt the kid anymore?” It sounds like some big fights could be around the corner for Pimblett.
Now ranked #8 in the rankings, Paddy Pimblett is looking straight into the top 5 of the division. It will be interesting to see how things pan out for the Liverpudlian in the months to come, considering that he’d be fighting, at least, once more in 2025. What do you think? Drop your comments below.
The post Team Khabib Head Coach Defies Narrative on Dana White Giving Paddy Pimblett ‘Easy Route’ to a UFC Title appeared first on EssentiallySports.
