Paddy Pimblett is one of the UFC's biggest rising stars and the promotion has been backed to build him up in a similar fashion to Conor McGregor.
Pimblett made his long-awaited UFC debut last September, knocking out Luigi Vendramini after suffering an early scare. 'The Baddy' looks to make it two in two this Saturday when he fights Kazula Vargas at UFC London.
The attention that Pimblett has attracted is similar to that of another former Cage Warriors champion in McGregor, as the Irishman took the UFC by storm almost a decade ago by clearing out the featherweight division to win the title.
Pimblett's goal is simple, to become the best UFC fighter of all time. But MMA veteran Josh Thomson and referee John McCarthy think the UFC will tailor Pimblett's opponents to suit his striking-based style until he gets more wins under his belt.
"If you take a look at the guys they're going to be putting him against. I don't think they're going to be putting Paddy against anybody that's got that wrestling background right now. "They're going to be putting him against strikers, and he's going to do pretty well with strikers," McCarthy said on the 'Weighing In' podcast.
And Thompson agreed by stating: "They're gonna try and build him a little bit like they did [with] Conor McGregor. They're going to spend the time and slow play it.
"Give him the fights that potentially he can stand with, Paddy Pimblett, they're going to build him that same way. Give him the fights he needs for about four or five fights."
Can Paddy Pimblett become a UFC lightweight champion? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
Pimblett, who turned down a UFC deal after winning the Cage Warriors title in 2016, is mostly known for his striking abilities but is also a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt. The Liverpudlian has predicted he will knockout Vargas in the opening minutes of their fight.
UFC boss Dana White admitted that Pimblett has given him the same aura that McGregor did when he started his UFC career. White thinks if Pimblett can continue to back up his talk in the octagon, he will inevitably be a big star for the promotion.
“People love him. And now Paddy has got to get in and put in the work and win the fights. People love Conor and Conor came here and did what he set out to do. If Paddy can get in here and win these fights, he’ll be a huge superstar," he told talkSPORT.
