Paddy Pimblett has been told that he faced better competition during his time in Cage Warriors than his first two fights in the UFC. The Liverpudlian claimed his second UFC victory this past weekend with a statement victory over Rodrigo 'Kazula' Vargas, coming after his first victory with the company over Luigi Vendramini in September - in which he also secure a first-round finish.
Like the first fight, Pimblett took a big shot to the face, with Vargas going for the take down. In his fight against Vendramini last year, the Liverpool star was able to regroup, compose himself before landing some huge shots, showing his athleticism, power and striking abilities to knock out his opponent.
At UFC London, Pimblett showed fans his excellence in Judo with an excellently executed hip toss and before using his black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to get in position before locking in a rear naked choke, locking it in tight giving Vargas no choice but to tap. The victory sees Pimblett's stature rise further, with the rising UFC star admitting that he could have been the main event himself.
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Whilst many were impressed with Pimblett's performance, one man has put the brakes on his rise to stardom. Former UFC referee of 20 years Big John McCarthy has claimed the Baddy faced tougher opponents in Cage Warriors.
He said: "I’m not a Paddy hater. I love when you have a guy like Paddy who talks the way he does, who has that game. He’s, I don’t want to say flamboyant, he is boisterous. He’s out there. He’s gotta push the envelope. And if you want to talk about how great you are, I want to see you against other great fighters so you prove it.
"I just want to see him against better competition. I’ve seen him against better competition in Cage Warriors than I’m seeing him in competition in the UFC. Tell me I’m lying.
"I understand why they put him against someone like (Kazula) Vargas, an older fighter. He’s got a good record even though he hasn’t really fought that many quality opponents.
"I totally understand why the UFC put him in the fight that they did. It is their job to create that momentum that when the needle is pushed over to that limit and they can make a pay-per-view around him, they’re going to. And they’re gonna make money, good for them."
