Pimblett's post-fight weight increase, according to Dillashaw, ensures he'll never be a UFC champion.
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Paddy Pimblett is still one of the most talked-about contenders in the UFC. He kept his title with a submission win against Kazula Vargas at UFC London in March. Pimblett will now meet Jordan Leavitt on July 23. Pimblett will compete in the lightweight class against Leavitt. However, based on current photos of Pimblett, it’s reasonable to infer that he weighs far more than 155 pounds. T.J. Dillashaw, the former UFC bantamweight champion, has taken issue with photographs of Pimblett from a recent Cage Warriors presentation. Dillashaw argued that based on the data, the British fighter will probably never be a UFC champion.
Dillashaw said on “The Schaub Show”, “They can promote him the right way and do all this good stuff, and he’s got some stuff to grow and get into the higher echelons of the UFC, but if you keep that same work ethic that he has now, he’ll never be a champion. You can’t have that down time like that. You can’t get that fat. You can’t get out of shape. It just kind of proves the dedication to what you need to do. And no, I’m not trying to pound on him or anything, but that’s something I think he’s going to have to figure out with age, right? He’s young. … It’s a full-time job, bro. This isn’t just wanting to be a fighter – you have to be a fighter.”
READ MORE: Paddy Pimblett Will Assist Paulo Costa In Reaching His 185-Lb Goal
Pimblett learned of Dillashaw’s comments and then let everybody know he doesn’t agree with the senior fighter’s viewpoints. He tweeted writing, “Cheating little juice head. You would never have won a belt without them steroids you *expletive* mushroom.”In 2014, Dillashaw defeated Renan Barao on short notice to win the UFC bantamweight belt. He retained the championship against Joe Soto and then against Barao before losing it to Dominick Cruz in 2016.
Dillashaw defeated Raphael Assuncao and Jon Lineker to earn a title chance against new champion—and former teammate—Cody Garbrandt. Dillashaw TKO’d Garbrandt to reclaim the championship and then KO’d him in the rematch. Dillashaw fought Henry Cejudo for the UFC flyweight belt in 2019. He tested positive for the prohibited drug EPO after the fight. He was suspended for two years for that offence and returned to the Octagon in July of last year. He won a tough split decision over Cory Sandhagen in his first bout back. Pimblett has a 2-0 record in the UFC. With an overall record of 18-3, he is a former featherweight and lightweight champion with the Cage Warriors organisation.
