If the UFC hasn’t been on your mind for quite some time, don’t worry, you are not the only one. It’s already been ten months since the world last witnessed a Conor McGregor fight. People have no news as to when he is going to return to the Octagon. Even though he lost his last four fights, this Irishman is still reigning over the world. No player has been born who can draw attention like “The Notorious,” at least not yet. In this pay-per-view world, the MMA odds are always stacked in McGregor’s court without a doubt, but now the world is ready for a successor.
Arnold Allen vs. Paddy the Baddy – Who Will be Next?
There was an event in the O2 area in London on March 19 during which the world got a glimpse of a new name who has the potential to become the successor to Conor McGregor – Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett. Even though the main event was between Russian Alexander Volkov and England’s Tom Aspinall that night, there was a co-main favorite match setup between Dan Hooker and Arnold Allen.
Now, you might be wondering why you haven’t heard about Paddy “The Baddy” before if he’s so good and could be the successor for Conor McGregor. Well, the reason is that until now, he has had only two fights in the UFC. His debut happened only recently, last September, when he did some small European promotion named Cage Warriors. Now, if we look at McGregor’s history, then you will notice that he also started his journey in the league much later, very similar to Paddy; it was in 2013 that McGregor made his debut in UFC.
In his first four fights, McGregor won all of them by knockout in the first round. In the same style, Pimblett came out into the world with all guns blazing in the way he finished his first two MMA matches, winning both in the first round. His dominance in the UFC matches is definitely one of the primary reasons that led to his fame all around the world.
Paddy Pimblett has even said on multiple occasions how humbled he feels that he is being compared to one of the greatest names of all time – Conor McGregor. However, he also mentioned that he has full faith in himself and that eventually, he will become the bigger star.
Detractors have already been claiming that Pimblett won’t make it to the top because he doesn’t have everything that it takes to bring the tag of a ‘champion.’ This claim is not just out of nowhere. There are facts to back it up – in the first two fights of the UFC, even though Pimblett won them, his opponents were able to get in some significant blows. But in all this drama, no one is going to deny the fact that watching Paddy “The Baddy” fight is a captivating experience, and the audience definitely loves to cheer him on.
Pimblett has been in the professional fighting arena for over a decade now. In all these years, he has garnered some loyal fans from all over England who love him and stand by him, especially in Liverpool, which is also his hometown. His roots are very deeply seated in his persona – something people also recognize in McGregor. Other fighters in the UFC always believe in going to bigger cities for their gyms and training, but Pimblett is a person who believes that one should always train in the city where they grew up.
Now, coming to Arnold, his ultimate goal is to become the 1st European fighter after McGregor to be a featherweight champion and lift divisional gold. The current champion is from New Zealand, and his name is Alexander Volkanovski. The kingpin who was present here before McGregor was Brazilian Jose Aldo back in 2015.
Conclusion
The question still remains – “Who will succeed Conor McGregor?” The Irishman has left the bar too high, and there are no two ways about it. But for now, only time will tell as to who will be the new face.