The always-outspoken Sean O’Malley has a new target in UFC lightweight rising star Paddy Pimblett. O’Malley sides with Jake Paul in a hypothetical boxing match against Pimblett, saying Paul would “f*** up” Pimblett.
Paul and Pimblett have had a war of words over the internet which began as Pimblett accused Jake Paul of “fixing” his recent fight against former UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva. Paul defeated Silva by unanimous decision after scoring a knockdown in the eighth round of the bout.
In response, the Youtuber Paul invited Pimblett to spar with him for a prize of “$1 million”. Pimblett has yet to accept, as there are most likely some contractual obligations with the UFC holding him back.
O’Malley Backs Jake Paul
In an interview on his podcast, UFC stalwart Sean O’Malley sides with Jake Paul, saying: “Jake’s a lot bigger than Paddy, a better and cleaner boxer. Jake probably f***s Paddy up in a boxing match, especially after watching his fight with Gordon.”
Pimblett fought Jared Gordon last week in the co-main event of UFC 282, and he emerged victorious via unanimous decision, winning 29-28 on all three scorecards. However, the fight was not without controversy, as many in the MMA community believed that Gordon won the fight handily thanks to his left hook that repeatedly stunned Pimblett. Even in the much slower third round, many believed that Gordon controlled the fight.
O’Malley believes that Paddy Pimblett’s poor punching execution holds him back in the Octagon, as he is known for his ground game. Pimblett did land a knockout victory over Luigi Vanderamini in his first UFC bout, and then he submitted his next two opponents. However, the wild-swinging victory style seen in the Vanderamini fight won’t last long, says O’Malley.
“There’s a difference between finding people’s chins, being accurate and sniping, then just throwing just to f***ing throw and land on something which was a lot of Gordon’s gloves.”
Quotes from Daily Mail
Although Pimblett is 4-0 in the promotion, he clearly has a lot of work to do. In his bout against Gordon, he got hit with heavy shots when his hands were down. In the clinch, he seemed to be at Gordon’s mercy and could not establish that vaunted ground game.
O’Malley may have second thoughts about Pimblett, but the Scouser’s hot streak in the UFC is not to be denied. Four straight wins in the toughest division in the promotion is no small feat. If Pimblett can make improvements to his game, he can eliminate the noise from fighters and fans alike. Only time will tell where the Scouser heads, though.
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images and Embed from Getty Images
