T.J. Dillashaw says Paddy Pimblett will “never be a champion” with current work ethic
Former bantamweight champion T.J. Dillashaw believes that Paddy Pimblett’s weight gain after his fights highlights a poor work ethic.
Pimblett is one of the UFC and the UK’s hottest prospects in MMA. However, the Liverpudlian is notably known for his post-fight image. Pimblett regularly balloons in size due to his eating habits when outside of fight camp.
As a former titleholder at the top of the sport, Dillashaw is an example of someone with an extremely focused work ethic, aside from his two-year drug suspension, of course. The 36-year-old regularly looks in incredible physical shape, even outside the cage. With that in mind, Dillashaw thinks that ‘The Baddy’ must take his approach to dieting if he is to become a UFC champion.
Speaking on The Schaub Show with Brendan Schaub, T.J. Dillashaw admitted that he’s a fan of Paddy Pimblett, but believes he’s destroying his body by continually gaining and losing weight.
“He’s loving diabetes,” Dillashaw joked in a heated rant about the Scouse fighter during an appearance on The Schaub Show. “That’s like a recipe for just destroying your body. I guess there’s one thing if I’m looking at it.
“They can promote him the right way and he might have what it takes to get into the higher echelons of the UFC, but if you keep that some work ethic he has now, then he’ll never be UFC champion. You can’t have that down time like that, you can’t get that fat and out of shape. It just proves the dedication you need to do what you do.
“I’m not trying to clown on him but that’s something he’s going to have to figure out with age, right? He’s young and this is a full-time job. This isn’t a job where you want to be a fighter. You have to be a fighter.”
Host Brendan Schaub claimed that he had a heart-to-heart with Pimblett after the pair filmed a recent episode of Food Truck Diaries, where they gorged on burgers at the Laugh Factory in California. According to Schaub, the fighter claimed that he will get his weight under control outside of fight times as he continues to ascend through the ranks in the promotion.
“The reason I’m not worried about him is that off camera you do get the general idea that he knows,” Schaub replied. “He said to me ‘I know, I know, I’m on it, trust me’. Right now he’s having fun, he’s not fighting top 15 guys, but he knows.”
Paddy Pimblett has previously said that he would rather be “fat and happy” than maintain his six-pack abs year-round. He has also indicated that he won’t be facing top level opposition any time soon, with his contract only guaranteeing him $12,000 or around £9,000 for each fight.
He makes seven figures per year as a brand ambassador for Barstool Sports and netted two $50,000 (£40,000) bonuses for his debut and sophomore outings. But there has been uproar over Pimblett’s guaranteed purses relative to his drawing power within the promotion.
Paddy Pimblett made his UFC debut in 2021.
The lightweight prospect has had two fights in the organization, stopping both his opponents in the first round and earning a pair of Performance of the Night bonuses.
Paddy Pimblett returns to the octagon in July for the second UK-held UFC Fight Night card of the year. ‘The Baddy’ is currently in camp and is working to drop off his reported 45-pound weight gain since his last fight in March.