Paddy Pimblett demanded Conor McGregor super-fight | Boxing News

Paddy Pimblett has boldly declared that a showdown with Conor McGregor could be probably the most monumental occasion in UFC historical past. The 30-year-old is set to tackle Michael Chandler at UFC 314 on April 13, that includes because the co-main occasion alongside Alexander Volkanovski vs. Diego Lopes.

The Liverpudlian fighter has quickly risen to prominence within the UFC, drawing parallels to McGregor’s ascent. Known for his brash and fascinating presence on the mic, Pimblett has left followers each shocked and entertained, whereas additionally boasting an undefeated streak of six victories within the UFC. Despite holding a former Cage Warriors Featherweight title, he has but to secure a championship within the Octagon. Pimblett is assured that a victory over Chandler – who was slated to face McGregor at UFC 303 in June final 12 months earlier than McGregor withdrew attributable to harm – would pave the way in which for a match in opposition to the ex-UFC featherweight and light-weight champion.

In a dialog with Round Eight Boxing back in February, when quizzed in regards to the risk of squaring off with McGregor, the colourful light-weight stated: “Sounds very tasty. A lot of people have said this to me already.

“‘Beat Chandler, take the McGregor struggle’. Obviously, it is the largest struggle within the sport, the largest struggle we have ever seen.”

The thought of McGregor and Pimblett trading verbal jabs would whip up excitement among fans. However, Pimblett’s assertion that their potential bout would be the “greatest struggle we have ever seen” might ruffle some feathers in the fighting community.

Should McGregor return to the Octagon, he’d be entering his first MMA bout since his leg break against Dustin Poirier back in 2021. With no championship at stake, McGregor’s comeback fight after hard training for the scrapped UFC 303 clash against Chandler leads to a stark fact: McGregor has yet to secure a victory since his triumph over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in 2020.

McGregor’s activities had already been on pause for two years after submitting to Khabib Nurmagomedov in 2018. Adding to potential UFC fan exasperation are the prolonged negotiations that preceded the eventual downfall of his expected bout with Chandler, which was first expected to take place in 2023.

Chandler himself opted out of the waiting game, choosing instead to fight Charles Oliveira, albeit ending up defeated by unanimous decision. The ex-Bellator titleholder even suggested that Pimblett could be a greater threat than McGregor at this stage, according to remarks he made to Instant Casino.

He said: “You may speak to a lot of people from a struggle perspective that [think] Paddy is likely to be more harmful than Conor at this level. We have not seen Conor in three years, [but] identify sensible? Yeah, you are not gonna get a greater identify than Conor.”

Last year, White was adamant that UFC fans will see McGregor fight before the close of 2025. Without putting a close time-frame on it, White said: “I wasn’t 100 per cent in 2024, however I’m in 2025. I simply am. I do know more than you guys know. I’m 100 per-cent assured McGregor will struggle subsequent 12 months.”