Paddy Pimblett still not championship material despite UFC 329 performance, says retired MMA star

Paddy Pimblett ultimately became the highlight of UFC 329, but one ex-MMA slugger still isn’t sold.

Pimblett was featured in the co-main event of McGregor’s return to the Octagon. While “Mystic Mac’s” knee injury left fans feeling unsatisfied, those same spectators were rocking T-Mobile Arena prior to the disappointing turn of events after “The Baddy” choked out Benoit Saint Denis in under a minute.

Former UFC welterweight bruiser Matt Brown was digging Pimblett’s energy and his flawless showing in Las Vegas. Still, “The Immortal” isn’t going as far as to say the Liverpool native has what it takes to win UFC gold. Brown made it clear on MMAFighting‘s “The Fighter vs. The Writer” that despite his opinion, he’s hoping for Pimblett’s continued success.

“I’ll tell you, I know I’ll take a lot of [expletive] on this but skill wise, I’m still just not sold on Paddy yet,” Brown said. “I hope he proves me wrong. I’m not trying to be Debbie Downer, or a f*cking a**hole over here, but I’m just not sold on him. We’ll see. I hope he proves me wrong.”

Brown believes fans witnessed Pimblett’s ceiling when he suffered a unanimous decision loss to Justin Gaethje back in January, but he won’t downplay the significance of beating “BSD” in the fashion that he did.

“Maybe I have a little bit of pessimism in me or non-belief, maybe more than I should have, but I didn’t believe in Conor either back in the day,” Brown said. “But it kind of feels the same way with Paddy. The difference is we have seen Paddy, he got beat up pretty bad by Justin Gaethje. I think we have a better idea of what his level is. The dude f*cking got it done against BSD. That’s a tough fight, and the way he did was absolutely impressive. Good for him.”

What’s next for Pimblett remains to be seen. “The Baddy” finished Saint Denis so quickly that his next fight could be booked sooner than most anticipated. Whether he settles a grudge match with Ilia Topuria or he’s in a high stakes bout with another top-tanked lightweight contender, fans will be paying attention to “The Baddy.”

Are you sold on Paddy Pimblett being UFC championship material, or do you side with Matt Brown? Leave your take in the comments below.