Paddy Pimblett has been backed to eclipse the legacy of UFC star Conor McGregor by remaining focused solely on his fighting career.
Pimblett has made a remarkable rise in the UFC and is fast becoming one of the promotion's biggest names despite only having fought three times. The Liverpudlian picked up his third consecutive victory against Jordan Leavitt at UFC London this weekend, where he was backed by a raucous crowd inside The O2 arena.
McGregor himself made a remarkable rise in the UFC and arguably remains the promotion's biggest name despite his recent form. His fighting career has suffered a recent decline, however, and he has been caught up in controversial incidents outside of the cage, including a number of tussles with the law.
UFC legend Dan Hardy believes Pimblett's focus should remain on becoming champion at 155lb before lining up any mega-fights with the likes of McGregor. “I would hope Paddy’s focus is on the belt as opposed to the super fights right now because he is in a very strong position where he can become something way more than Conor McGregor,” Hardy explained during an appearance on The MMA Hour.
“And I know that is a difficult thing for us to imagine, but we couldn’t have imagined that of Conor McGregor before he stepped out of Cage Warriors. Especially because I think people's brands change and shift. Conor is not the same, he is not as easy to gravitate toward as he used to be at the beginning of his career. It is much easier to relate to people when they are stepping off the streets, going through hard times.
“Now, [McGregor] is living on yachts and stuff and I think he is quite estranged from his fan base. I think people will tune in because of the fact that he is an entertainer, but I think people will follow Paddy to a much longer degree than they have Conor because I don’t think Paddy is going to fall off in the same way Conor did and find himself in handcuffs.”
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McGregor recently appeared in court after being charged with alleged driving offences in his native Ireland. However the court case was pushed back until September while the court looks to examine further charges. In the UFC, McGregor has picked up just one victory in his last four fights.
He lost twice last year to Dustin Poirier with the second meeting ending in disaster after breaking his leg within the opening round. McGregor is eyeing a return to the top of his game in a switch to 170lb where he is looking to become the UFC's first triple champion. Despite his plan, McGregor has been linked with a whole host of meetings including against Pimblett in the future. McGregor admitted he is open to the possibility of facing the Merseyside star in the future, and is impressed with the early stages of his career.
