UFC London: Paddy Pimblett Comments On Conor McGregor Comparisons After Big Win

A new version of Conor McGregor is taking the UFC by storm.

England’s Paddy Pimblett is one of the most talked-about breakout UFC stars at present. His antics have earned him comparisons to former UFC two-division champ McGregor, but he also backed them up by winning.

Pimblett did not fail to deliver and submitted Rodrigo "Kazula" Vargas in the very first round of their UFC Fight Night 204 bout Saturday. As expected, the media quizzed “The Baddy” on the comparisons to McGregor now that he’s starting to make a name for himself.

According to Pimblett, the one thing he wants from McGregor is the amount of money he’s making. The Liverpool native hopes to make tons of money in his future fights in order to give back to his city.

“I hope I do end up earning as much money as Conor McGregor and no child from my city [Liverpool] will ever eat from a food bank ever again,” the 27-year-old said during his post-fight press conference.

“I mean I’m going to give back to my city,” he continued. “Something I’ve been planning on doing the past few months is to start my own charity and I think after this fight I’m gonna get it done.”

Unlike other notable UFC fighters, Pimblett has the utmost respect for McGregor. Heading into London, he defended “The Notorious” from naysayers, stressing they should be grateful for what McGregor has done for the sport.

"[McGregor] changed the game, simple as that,” Pimblett told Combat Sports U.K. “He's changed the game for when it comes to fighter pay and stuff like that. I don't understand how people can put him down. He's the first double champ. People need to put more respect on his name.”

“Man, it's easy to kick someone when he's down, but when he was at his highest, he was taking the sport to levels we've never seen," he added.

Following Pimblett’s second win under the UFC banner, UFC president Dana White couldn’t help but acknowledge the hype behind the fighter.

White also hinted that Pimblett could headline a UFC Fight Night event next as his “numbers say yes.”

“On my Instagram, I posted the faceoffs yesterday for the heavyweight fight [Aspinall vs. Volkov]. That did 120,000 views,” White told reporters post-fight. “Paddy’s faceoff did 1.3 million. So all the talk going into the fight about his walkout and all this s---, listen, it’s real. This kid’s got a ton of hype behind him, and tonight, he showed everybody that he’s the real deal.”

“I don’t know. I mean, his numbers say yes,” he added. “His numbers say yes. He could headline a Fight Night.”