Paddy Pimblett wants “championship money” first before he even ponders the idea of being in championship UFC fights.
Pimblett is one of the fastest rising stars in MMA. With his win at UFC London last week — his second in the Octagon — he has quickly become the new face of English MMA. His hype train is full steam ahead and his biggest supporters are dreaming of bringing UFC gold back to the UK. However, “The Baddy” doesn’t have title aspirations in the near future, his goal is to get paid much better than he is now.
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While Pimblett won’t be in a title fight any time soon — he isn’t even ranked in the lightweight division yet — it isn’t an impossibility by 2023 if he continues his current hot streak. Yet, he doesn’t envision a title opportunity for himself within the next two years. He would rather wait until 2025 for a title shot because he wants champion-level paydays well before he ever competes for the lightweight belt.
Paddy Pimblett wants championship money before championship fights
“I’m a realistic lad. That’s gonna be like a 2025 thing, Pimblett said during a Thursday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’ll just take it one step at a time. We’ll see. Especially with the way my money is, I’m fighting for this amount of money that I don’t want to fight anywhere near the title [for]. I want to be getting paid championship money before I even fight for the title.”
Following his fourth straight victory, the 27-year-old revealed that his base salary for his main card bout inside the O2 Arena this past weekend was a measly $24,000. He was paid $12,000 to fight and another $12,000 if he won, which he did by first-round submission over Rodrigo Vargas. That number is also before any fees are paid to his trainers, training partners, and the gym he prepared for the fight at.
- Paddy Pimblett record: 18-3 (6 knockouts, 8 submissions)
That is s shocking number for a former Cage Warriors champion working for a billion-dollar fight organization. Fortunately for him, and many other fighters that scored finishes on that UFC card, he was also awarded a $50,000 performance bonus from the promotion.
Paddy Pimblett’s next fight has not yet been booked, but the popular UK fighter will likely be back in the Octagon by the summer.