5 reasons why Paddy Pimblett could surpass Conor McGregor's popularity in the UFC

#2. He is more well-rounded

Conor McGregor has the undying love of MMA's casual fanbase. However, the hardcore portion of fight fans routinely denigrate the Irishman's lack of grappling skills. McGregor is primarily a striker. Specifically, he is a counterpuncher who uses pressure to force his foes into committing mistakes.

While his defensive wrestling and grappling are fairly good, his offensive wrestling and grappling are nonexistent. The last time he successfully implemented his grappling and wrestling was against a young and green Max Holloway who, at the time, routinely struggled with counter-wrestling. Worse still, the last and only time McGregor won a fight via submission was in 2012.

Paddy Pimblett, however, is more comfortable in every facet of MMA. He is a skilled grappler with a breadth of submission wins, earning him the support of the niche part of MMA's fanbase that appreciates Brazilian jiu-jitsu. Pimblett's exciting submission grappling will hopefully convert many casuals who only appreciate striking.

Similarly, while 'The Baddy' is no elite striker, his willingness to engage in striking battles, alongside his rising knockout percentage, have endeared him to the casual fanbase who often favor knockouts over submissions. McGregor does not — and will not — have this stylistic crossover appeal with MMA fans.

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#1. Pimblett does not need to be a UFC champion

As exciting and unique as Paddy Pimblett is, a world championship in the UFC is likely not in his future. 'The Baddy' not only has some stylistic flaws (primarily in his defensive striking), but he is also in the deepest division of a promotion where everyone in the top 15 is a tough test.

However, a world championship is not necessary for 'The Baddy' to achieve MMA superstardom. Jorge Masvidal, Nate Diaz, and Sean O'Malley are prime examples of fighters with massive fanbases despite their lack of UFC world championships.

Masvidal is currently 0-3 in his last three bouts, having failed in two consecutive attempts to capture the UFC welterweight title. Diaz has not won a fight since 2019 and has not been on a win streak since 2016, yet he is more popular now than he ever was. O'Malley is not even ranked in the top ten of his division, but he remains one of the most popular bantamweights in the world.

The sheer strength of Paddy Pimblett's personality and his exciting fighting style are enough to maintain his stardom whether he loses or wins. Conor McGregor, by contrast, hinges much of his image as a fighter on being the self-proclaimed best in the world. While the Irishman's losses haven't yet damaged his stardom, if he loses his next bout, that might be the case, whereas Pimblett will suffer from no such limitation.