Ariel Helwani warmly welcomed Paddy Pimblett on his show years before UFC debut

Paddy Pimblett recently hosted Dana White on the Chattin Pony podcast, and the pair completely lambasted Ariel Helwani during a segment on the show. Pimblett did not hold back at all, calling the MMA journalist a "rodent" and a "rat" who profited off interviewing fighters without renumerating them.

However, it seems Pimblett and Helwani weren't always at odds with each other. Many keen-eyed fans pointed out that the Canadian had, in fact, warmly welcomed 'The Baddy' on The MMA Hour back in 2018. This was reiterated by Helwani, who responded to Pimblett's accusations in an hour-long video on the MMAFighting channel.

Check out the clip below:

During one segment, Ariel Helwani reminded viewers that he had promoted 'The Baddy' on the show more than three years before the 27-year-old was even signed by the UFC. Helwani played a clip from the 2018 interview where he told Pimblett that, so far, only he had shown the future UFC lightweight any love:

"Do you get the sense that even though you haven't fought in the UFC, that people know you? Do they recognize you?... You only get love on this show huh? Let the Americans jump on the bandwagon, I feel like they're a bit late on this one."

Paddy Pimblett replied in the affirmative:

"Americans don't. To be honest. American's don't really [know me]."

Watch the full video from 2018 below:

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Dan Hooker claims it would be a bad move for Paddy Pimblett to fight him

As Paddy Pimblett gears up to make his pay-per-view debut at UFC 282 against Jared Gordon, the Liverpudlian does not seem to have impressed Dan Hooker. The New Zealander recently claimed that he would not want to fight Pimblett lest he "burst his bubble."

Speaking to Oscar Willis on an episode of Pub Talks, Hooker stated that he is not interested in fighting the 27-year-old fast-rising superstar:

"Let's all be honest, he's [Paddy Pimblett] getting taken care of, you know what I mean? He's not getting tough match-ups just yet. I wouldn't want to fight him just yet. I like him, I like him, I wouldn't want to fight him. I'd make him look silly, I don't want to burst the bubble and that's just being honest... Hand on my heart I think I'd do whatever I'd want to that kid."

Catch the full video below:

Paddy Pimblett most certainly possesses all the right ingredients to be the UFC's next cash cow. 'The Baddy' is on a three-fight win streak in the UFC, finishing all three of his opponents and earning a Performance of the Night bonus in each. A win over Gordon could further guarantee a shot at a ranked opponent.