Share and Follow
Dana White is itching for a new star to transcend MMA and bring in swathes of new supporters. His search has taken him far and wide. Although Dana hasn’t explicitly stated he believed Paddy The Baddy could pick up Conor McGregor’s fame and dynasty and resell it to a new audience, there were several parallels between Paddy’s early UFC career and Conor’s.
However, some fans and UFC analysts stated that the organization probably had big plans when they signed up Paddy, including turning him into a big name in the United Kingdom and Irish fight game.
Paddy The Baddy’s Background
Paddy hails from Liverpool, an English city with more similarities to Ireland than England. Many descendants have Irish ancestry and strong connections with sport, as many Irish people support Liverpool’s soccer team. In addition, as the crow flies, Dublin is closer to Liverpool than London. The vociferous and tribal legions of sports fans, known as scousers, are divided into two soccer factions, Liverpool FC and Everton FC. Although Paddy is a follower of Liverpool FC, scouse sports fans are known to get behind their own, and it is a city with a deep tradition of boxing. MMA is still new but attracts the same levels of vocal support when the natives support one of their own.
Dana will have weighed all of this up before Paddy put his signature to paper and signed with the UFC and will have likely taken a calculated gamble based on the fact Paddy could go on to sell out some significant events. White is no stranger to taking gambles with UFC fighters and is also well-versed in taking gambles in a more traditional sense.
White has made no secret of his love for casino gaming and has been spotted playing blackjack in roulette in Las Vegas on several occasions. Playing table games for cash is one of Dana’s main hobbies, but he doesn’t let them distract him from the business at hand in the Octagon. We’re sure the fact UFC has so many Vegas-based cards plays nicely into Dana’s love of gambling, but is he looking to “cash his chips” on Paddy Pimblett?
Paddy’s Early UFC Career
Following a solid opening fight against Rodrigo Vargas, which ended in a convincing first-round stoppage victory, and another stoppage victory in his ensuing battle against Jordan Leavitt, Paddy hit the ground running and started to hoover up support on both sides of the Atlantic.
Riding the wave of this popularity, Paddy won the breakthrough Fighter of the Year at the MMA Awards at the end of 2022 and has used this surge in popularity to fuel his YouTube channel, which is closing in on one million subscribers. Using UFC as a vehicle to generate a comfortable retirement fund should be the goal for all professional MMA fighters, and it seems like Paddy understands this better than most.
Read Related Also: Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Blues battling Newcastle for Sadio Mane; Conor Gallagher unlikely to be regular next season, and more
Jared Gordon Fight
However, the most important thing that underpins this all is the results of the Octagon. Paddy’s third fight in the UFC against Jared Gordon was unimpressive. Nevertheless, Paddy is in one of the best UFC divisions when it comes to depth and quality, with names like Justin Gaethje, Islam Makhachev, and Charles Oliviera at the top of the rankings.
Gordon is a solid professional with a big heart and sounds technical skills, but he’s not one of the top guys, and he gave Paddy a tough night’s work. Since this showdown in December 2022, Paddy’s stock has dropped immensely. Very few people truly believe he won the fight; where he goes from here is unclear.
Nearly six months on, there have been no signs of his next fight, and fans believe he doesn’t belong near the division’s elite.
Sometimes a humble, genuine loss works better for your career than a dubious victory. Following criticism from key, popular figures in the UFC world, such as Joe Rogan and Nate Diaz, it looks like Dana’s gamble on Pimblett may not have been a sharp move. Still, fortunes can change quickly in the fight game, and Pimblett has shown via his YouTube channel that he generates a big audience and can talk directly to his fans because of his authenticity.
Final Thoughts
Paddy’s marketability has taken a clear hit, but this isn’t unsalvageable by any means. One fight doesn’t define a career, unlike many casuals on social media would have you believe. If Paddy can get back on track and get a few solid wins under his belt against some solid, active lightweights, the perception of him will no doubt change for the better again.
The fight game is fickle, and although combat sports fans are some of the most passionate sports fans in the world, they have short memories, and if somebody begins to string a few wins together, their stock rises quickly.
So while it may be unclear which direction Paddy is heading at the minute, he has the marketability, name, and stature to carve a successful path in the UFC, regardless of whether he wins a title.
