Crossing the road on a junction by London Bridge station, preparing to turn the corner and head towards Bankside to interview Paddy Pimblett, I meet him unexpectedly early. Fourteen foot off the ground, he flashes a grin down at me, his eyes twinkling under that familiar spill of blonde hair. His head is much larger than expected, even with the knowledge that he tends to add significant weight between fights. This is UFC star “Paddy The Baddy” as a face of JD Sports, splashed across an advert on the side of a double-decker bus. Larger than life.
Fifteen minutes later, the real deal is much more unsuspecting, wearing a somewhat drowsy expression as he greets me in a modern office building. He’s been rushed to London for the day, and I’m his last interview before he dashes to Euston to return to Liverpool. “Euston’s about 30 minutes from here, isn’t it, lad?” he asks a member of the UFC’s PR team.
