UFC star Sean O'Malley has backed pal Logan Paul after he called out the significantly smaller Paddy Pimblett for his UFC debut.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer has come in for some harsh criticism after declaring that he would like to fight lightweight Pimblett in his first MMA bout, despite a huge size difference between the pair. The elder Paul brother has indicated that he is interested in coming to the UFC to face Pimblett, but their last weigh-ins were vastly different affairs.
Paul most recently faced Floyd Mayweather in an outlandish exhibition bout where he tipped the scales at 189.5lb, or just over the middleweight limit in MMA terms. Pimblett, on the other hand, was 155lb for his bout with Rodrigo Vargas in London last month, 34.5lb lighter than the social media star.
But O'Malley understands why Paul would call him out, blaming it on Pimblett's poor diet after fights where he reportedly balloons up to around the YouTuber's weight.
"I think it makes sense," O'Malley told The Schmo. "I don't think these guys pay too much attention [to the weight classes]. He probably looks at him and Paddy's fat as s***, Logan's like 'he's 200 pounds' and thinks, 'yeah, I'm around that weight.'
"Paddy's a massive prospect right now blowing up so it makes sense for Logan to call out someone with a name like that. it's Logan f***ing Paul he's not going to call out some random guy that no-one knows, he's going to call out the top dogs, that's what they do."
Paul and O'Malley have been close friends since meeting at his brother Jake's fight with Ben Askren last year. The UFC star was one of a select few invited guests, and partied with the YouTubers after the bout, eventually striking up a friendship and appearing on Logan's podcast Impaulsive.
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And he believes that there is a real chance at success for the elder Paul brother in the UFC, saying on his podcast : “Dude, Logan can f***ing box and he can wrestle, he really can f***ing wrestle and box. It would be a matter of him just dedicating months to training."
But he believes that the Pimblett fight is unlikely for another reason; the fact that promotional boss Dana White could lose a potential superstar. The UFC is considering a return to the UK for this summer, with Pimblett's hometown of Liverpool a possible host city.
And should the UFC allow him to face Paul and lose, O'Malley believes it kills his potential as a major player in the sport. “I told him, dude, Dana will never f***ing do that,” O'Malley explained. “Doesn’t matter how big of a fight that is, if Logan goes out there and beats Paddy, Paddy can’t be a star, he just can’t be.”
