Felder: Paddy Not So Baddy vs. A Top 15 Lightweight

Paddy Pimblett picked up his seventh straight win — fifth inside the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Octagon — by defeating former interim lightweight champion, Tony Ferguson, at UFC 296 last just last month. But “Baddy’s” performance wasn’t exactly knocking people’s socks off.

Among those who were left unimpressed was former UFC contender-turned broadcaster Paul Felder, who felt that Pimblett could have done more to finish “El Cucuy.” In fact, “The Irish Dragon” says that Paddy’s inability to do so doesn’t have him convinced that the British brawler can defeat any of the Top 15 fighters in the weight class.

“Can Paddy beat anyone in the top 15? I will start with this: Of course he can. We know that it’s MMA – anything can happen,” Felder said on his “Round-Up” show with Michael Chiesa, via MMA Junkie.

“But if we were going to sit here and make bets, and if I had to predict: No, I really don’t think so. He struggled to get a Tony out of there who looked the worst he’s ever looked in his career.

There were some points in the fight where it seemed as if Ferguson was on his way out. But, in true “El Cucuy” fashion he dug deep and made it the entire 15 minutes of the fight.

“He was able to hurt Tony a little bit, but he really should have been able to put him away. Not taking anything away from him – he knew he was going to be in for a hard one, even if he won this fight. He said it in the media days leading up that we were going to criticize him even if he wins, if he didn’t go out there and maybe get him out of there. So here we are criticizing him,” concluded Felder.

Despite his win, Pimblett failed to crack the Top 15 after earning his fifth straight win under the UFC banner. Nevertheless, “The Baddy” is still on a hot streak and will likely set himself up for a bigger fight moving forward. When that will be is yet-to-be determined, but it’s not out of the question for the promotion to place him on the monumental UFC 300 card this April, even if it is on the “prelims.”

Anyone (dis) agree with Felder on this hot take?