Israel Adesanya has hit back at Paddy Pimblett after the Liverpudlian fighter called the UFC middleweight champion’s ring walks “stupid”.
Adesanya famously danced to the Octagon alongside two friends ahead of his title win in 2019, something of which rising star Pimblett was not a fan.
Adesanya baited Pimblett ahead of the latter’s fight against Rodrigo Vargas at UFC London this Saturday, saying on his YouTube channel: “He should do that, I dare him to do a f***ing whole entrance on the biggest fight of his life.
“I’m not talking this fight, this ain’t the biggest fight of his life. He’s fighting a motherf***** that’s 1-2 [in the UFC]. He’s getting fed a bum. I dare him to try something like that and then fight, and do what I did.”
Lightweight Pimblett enjoyed a successful UFC debut last year, stopping Luigi Vendramini in the first round and enhancing the buzz around the former Cage Warriors champion.
“He jumped in the UFC, talked that s***, and he walked that s***, too,” Adesanya said. “I like what he’s doing. I like the haircut, and I like how he’s owning everything and just telling it like it is. He’s speaking his truth.
“They’re building him up. This is the thing: When I got to the UFC, when I jumped in, I was ready to fight the dangerous people of the division, and they threw me right in there against a grappler who was going to grapple me – at least, that’s what he tried to do.
“Second fight, I’m fighting blockhead [Marvin Vettori]. Third fight, I fight a top-ranked guy – top 10, f***, third fight.
“Look, you can be a hype train, but there’s levels. I knew I could jump in the deep end and swim with the sharks right away. I didn’t have the opportunity like some of the these guys.
“Even [Jon Jones] early on was fighting... not scrubs, but they push you, and once they realise who you are: ‘Oh, okay, let’s push him more.’ Anyway, that’s no shade by the way, that’s just me stating it as it is for myself. I didn’t get to fight a guy who was 1-2.”
Adesanya, 32, doubled down on his suggestion that he likes Pimblett, complimenting the 27-year-old’s confidence and adding that it may be a useful asset for the Liverpudlian.
“That kind of confidence shakes a lot of dudes, even a lot of veterans,” Adesanya said. “When they’re under the lights, when a guy is creative like Pimblett or like myself...
“Like [Derek] Brunson at Madison Square Garden, I created all of that. He was like: ‘Oh, f***, s***.’ He got shook.
“So, [Pimblett] can shake a lot of veterans with that confidence, but he’s a bit green so he needs to work on his skills, especially his striking.”
