Paddy Pimblett details dark stage in career influenced by money and fame

Paddy Pimblett has seen his star rise since making his UFC debut 15 months ago. The surging lightweight recently opened up on how a dark stage in his career helped him navigate success.

Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Pimblett stated:

"People can relate to me, you know what I mean? You can't relate to a lot of MMA fighters. You just can't and I'm just a normal kid, lad, that believed in himself enough and I've got to where I am... Years ago, when I was 21, when I won the Cage Warriors belt, I was a bit of an idiot."

Pimblett continued:

"I was hanging around people that just wanted to hang around me to get into nightclubs. I even fell out with the missus for a few months. I'm so happy that that happened now. I had to take a loss and realize the opportunities that I had in front of me... Money and fame doesn't change people, it just shows you who you really was." [sic]

Despite having just three fights with the promotion, Pimblett is one of the biggest draws in MMA. He will look to pick up his fourth consecutive win when he faces Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

Watch Paddy Pimblett discuss being in a dark place below (starting at the 12:55 mark):

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Paddy Pimblett addresses comments on his weight cuts

There has been plenty of chatter surrounding Paddy Pimblett's weight, as he is known to put on an extraordinary amount of weight between fights. Ahead of his pay-per-view debut in the co-main event of UFC 282, Pimblett addressed the noise.

Speaking to Brett Okamoto of ESPN MMA, Pimblett stated:

"People go on about my weight and I think people like Dustin Poirier, Charles Oliveira, Islam Makhachev, they do more than 12 pounds overnight. I've got 12 pounds to lose, but people want to talk about me because of [my gaining weight] out of camp. Out of camp, I'll do what I want. No one will tell me otherwise. It's the Paddy way. I'd rather be fat and happy."

While Pimblett missed weight twice early in his career as a bantamweight, he has not missed weight in over eight and a half years. Furthermore, the weight cuts have seemingly not affected him in the octagon, as he has finished his opponent in each of his three UFC fights.

Watch Paddy Pimblett discuss his weight cuts below (starting at the 11:55 mark):