No One Dreams Of Being In Bellator Or PFL

Paddy Pimblett is happy with his spot on Ultimate Fighting Championship’s (UFC) roster.

Before the 28-year-old “Baddy,” Pimblett, burst onto the scene in UFC, he was well-known for his rich and entertaining career in the England-based promotion, Cage Warriors. Pimblett was the Featherweight champion at a time in Cage Warriors before eventually challenging for Lightweight gold and sticking with the heavier weight class as he progressed his career.

In hindsight, had some alternative and better financial options been available at the time of his career’s start, Pimblett admits he’d have strongly considered a different direction. At the same time, it would have only been a stepping stone to get to where he ultimately wanted to be.

“Yeah, of course, it would have been a tougher decision,” Pimblett told Severe MMA. “I was looking at walking away at 4-1 because I wasn’t getting paid enough. I was gonna quit MMA when I was 18 because I wasn’t getting paid anywhere near enough. I was getting paid like [$620] to fight, something stupid like that. It wasn’t enough.

“I can understand a lot of fighters now that are going to PFL and are going to Bellator, but if you’ve got a dream that you want to be in the UFC then I think 99 out of 100 MMA fighters, their dream is to be in the UFC,” he continued. “No one gets up in the morning and goes, ‘Ah, I want to fight for Bellator, mate.’ Or, ‘Ah, I want to fight for PFL.’ The only reason people go to PFL is to try and win the million dollars with easier fights.”

Ironically, the vast majority of former UFC fighters that have departed and joined PFL specifically have found minimal success. The four-fight-per-year seasonal tournament format has been described as one of the more grueling in the sport by those who have gone through it.

For the rising superstar, Pimblett (20-3), he doesn’t appear likely to ever test himself outside UFC at any point in the near future. The Liverpool, England native rides a four-fight win streak since debuting and only growing more and more popular.