T.J. Dillashaw thinks Paddy Pimblett needs to alter his diet if he wants to become UFC champion some day.
Pimblett (18-3 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a rising lightweight star in the UFC, is notorious for being out of shape in between fights, ballooning up to 202 pounds after his past win over Kazula Vargas in March.
Indulging in cravings has forced Pimblett to cut a lot of weight to make 155 pounds. Although he’s never missed at lightweight, Dillashaw questions “The Baddy’s” work ethic and the impact the strenuous cuts could have on his body down the line.
“He’s just loving diabetes,” Dillashaw said on “The Schaub Show.” “That’s like a recipe for destroying your body. I guess there’s one thing when I look at it: They can promote him the right way and do all this good stuff, and he’s got some stuff to grow and get into the higher echelons of the UFC, but if you keep that same work ethic that he has now, he’ll never be a champion.
“You can’t have that down time like that. You can’t get that fat. You can’t get out of shape. It just proves the dedication to what you need to do. I’m not trying to pound on him or anything, but that’s something I think he’s going to have to figure out with age. He’s young. It’s a full-time job. This isn’t just wanting to be a fighter; you have to be a fighter.”
Pimblett returns to action July 23 when he meets Jordan Leavitt at UFC Fight Night in London.
