Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett is the face of scouse mixed martial arts, and arguably the face of martial arts in the United Kingdom. The Liverpudlian trains out of Next Generation MMA and has amassed a record of 11-1 since making his professional debut in October of 2012.

Along with his enthralling fighting style, Pimblett is known for always being the center of attention. When I talk about Paddy Pimblett, I always get asked the same question, “Is it an act? Is he actually like that?” The answer is yes. Whether you’re a fan or a friend, it’s obvious that this is not an act when you spend five minutes with Paddy away from all the cameras. I’ve trained on and off at Next Generation for the past three years, and “The Baddy” is exactly the same off camera, as he is on it. If you walk into the gym, you’ll always notice Paddy if he’s there, whether that be to his blonde locks or him joking and playing, you’ll notice him.

Pimblett’s whole demeanor reeks of confidence, no matter who is he fighting, he will always tell it how it is, and say why he is going to win, and he does exactly that. Pimblett works hard, puts in the hours, believes in his ability, and gets the job done.

Obviously, he’s not a one man team. Pimblett has a close relationship with the head coach of Next Generation MMA, Paul Rimmer, who just happens to be a BJJ Black Belt. There’s also a number of guys around the gym that help him, including names such as Adam Ventre, Ellis Hampson, and newly crowned Cage Warriors Lightweight Champion Chris Fishgold.

Pimblett has his critics, and a lot of them, too. Funnily enough, though, the criticism is almost never about his skill level as a fighter, but about his talk, or quite often about his hair. ‘Jay from The Inbetweeners’ is something that gets thrown around a lot, but Pimblett laughs it off, and carries on doing what Paddy Pimblett does.

If Pimblett himself can’t convince you how good he is, listen to what the fans have to say. A normal day for Pimblett consists of receiving numerous tweets asking when he’s going to be handed a UFC contract. “They know who I am” is a response that Pimblett uses frequently, and he said the same thing to me five months ago backstage at ICE FC 11 where his teammate Chris Fishgold was fighting.

Pimblett was as cool as ever, not phased by the fact one of his friends and teammates is about to be locked in a cage and fight a high level opponent who is there to win. “I get more nervous when my teammates are fighting” Pimblett told me, not that you could tell. Whether he’s watching a teammate, cornering a teammate, or even fighting himself, nothing changes. It’s remarkable how calm “The Baddy” is moments before stepping into the cage, but recently we’ve seen a lot more focus in the eyes of Pimblett.

Patrick Pimblett walkout

Now that is not a sight I’d like to see moments before fighting somebody. Focused, but happy. In this moment, Pimblett is in his element. He knows he’s about to put it all on the line, after months of hard work, after everything that comes with a fight camp, he’s finally about to fight. At that moment, the goal is not to get to the UFC, it’s not to beat another guy that has been talking, it’s to step into that cage, and successfully defeat the opponent standing in front of him.

I can’t imagine what goes through a fighters head at that moment, but alls I know is it’s probably ten times worse for Pimblett, but he deals with it twenty times better. Pimblett arguably has the more pressure on him than any other fighter in UKMMA, as he talks, and has to back that up, as he is constantly reminded how close he is to reaching the UFC, as he always fights top level opponents.

Pimblett has fought twice in 2016, the first being his, and Cage Warriors’ eagerly awaited return. Ashleigh Grimshaw, who trains with fighters such as Brad Pickett and Dominick Wooding, was the man who Pimblett had to defeat, and he did exactly that. Pimblett dominated the highly rated wrestler on the ground, with slick transitions and excellent positional knowledge. Pimblett couldn’t get the finish, and went to a decision for the first time since March of 2014 at Cage Warriors 65. Pimblett’s last outing, his second in 2016, is one that fans will remember for years to come. Pimblett was dropped, or not…

Pimblett was shaken shall we say, he dove in for a takedown before getting caught in a guillotine. Refusing to give in, Pimblett managed to wriggle his way out, before doing what he does best, winning. “The Baddy” ended up on top before gaining momentum and even mounting Violet briefly before the end of the first. Pimblett and Violet traded early in the second, and then Pimblett shot for a single leg takedown. He completed the takedown and ended up on top again. Pimblett ended up in side control, and was effectively choking Violet with his shoulder, pressing it into the throat of the Frenchman. Then Violet turned, and allowed Pimblett to get the mount, this was the beginning of the end. In an attempt to get free, Violet gave his back, that’s when we knew, this fight was all but over. Instantly, Pimblett clasped his hands together, and started to choke his opponent. He switched from hooks to a body triangle, and had the choke. Violet attempted to break the grip of Pimblett, but he couldn’t. “The Baddy” had essentially picked up his 11th win, and just needed Violet to make one decision; tap, or go to sleep. Violet tapped.

Pimblett emphatically jumped up from the ground, and ran over to his screaming cornerman Paul Rimmer, before jumping onto the fence and repeatedly yelling “No one, no one!” to the fans in attendance.

Honestly, I don’t think Paddy cares too much for the media, or the spotlight, I think he’s just a normal person, who loves to fight and says what he thinks.

I visited Next Generation MMA this past week to speak to Adam Ventre, who fights Dylan Tuke at SHINOBI on July 30th, and on my way out of the gym, I saw “The Baddy” one of the best fighters in the UK, and probably a UFC fighter in the next year or so, lying on the mat, half asleep, with all sorts of junk food next to him. Well, that’s one way of celebrating.

Oh, and by the way, if Patrick Pimblett has taken over the MMA world in two years time, I told you so.


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