There's been Tito Ortiz, Chuck Liddell, Brock Lesnar, Ronda Rousey, and currently Conor McGregor. But after the rise of McGregor, the native of Ireland turned himself into a global phenomenon and one of the biggest stars in all of sports. But McGregor hasn't fought much since the end of 2016 when he notched a second-round knockout over Eddie Alvarez at UFC 205 to become the lightweight champion and be the first "champ-champ" in UFC history as he had the featherweight strap. McGregor's only fought five times, and one of those was a boxing match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in August 2017, which set a number of pay-per-view records.
Who will replace McGregor, grab the mantle, and usher the UFC into a new era? Could it be a 27-year-old who doesn't live too far from McGregor in the United Kingdom?
Paddy Pimblett returns for his third UFC outing this Saturday on the main card of UFC London as he takes on Jordan Leavitt in lightweight action. He fits the bill. Pimblett's brash, confident in his abilities, knows how to talk, and does the most essential thing that would propel someone to the stratosphere McGregor's reached, he wins and finishes fights. Paddy "The Baddy" is 18-3 with 14 of those wins coming inside the distance (six knockouts, eight submissions), including back-to-back stoppages in his first two fights inside the Octagon. Although he's garnered those finishes in the first round and hasn't had a top 15 foe yet, Pimblett says with conviction that if someone is going to replace McGregor on top of the mountain, it will be him.
"Absolutely yes (being the guy to replace McGregor)," Pimblett bluntly told DAZN. "There was Brock Lesnar. There was Ronda Rousey. There was Conor McGregor. Now, there’s Paddy “The Baddy”. That simple.
"Other fighters on the roster just aren't authentic. Like they haven't got any personality. I'm just me. What you see is what you get. A lot of other people haven't got any personality. I'm very relatable. A lot of people can relate to me. I don't look like a fighter. I haven't got a single tattoo. I don't look like a fighter. I shock a lot of people when I get in there and beat people up. When I'm in the offseason, I'm just a normal fella. I like going out and eating food and drinking fizzy drinks. I don't want a six pack all year round."
Needless to say, like McGregor, Pimblett doesn't lack confidence. So, where does it come from? His parents? Friends?
"Everyone asks where the confidence comes from," Pimblett said. "I'm just like, ‘I don't even know myself’. Personally, I don't know where the confidence came from because I'm not that confident in other walks of life. I just know how good I am at fighting and putting on a show for people. It's what I was put on this earth to do, and I continue to do so until I retire."
Pimblett is in no rush to get the top names. He wants to climb the mountain and earn his stripes before fighting them. However, the dream fight is apparent in Pimblett's mind as it would have the opportunity to be a passing of the torch type of moment.
"Everyone knows. Everyone knows it’s Conor McGregor," Pimblett said. "It goes without saying the dream fight for anyone in the UFC, whether it's Francis Ngannou, Deiveison Figueiredo, the dream fight is Conor McGregor because of the amount of money you'll get. The funny thing is, in a few years, that'll be me. Everyone's gonna want to fight me for the money that I generate."
Before thoughts of McGregor, Pimblett has a stern test in Leavitt (10-1). But, to Pimblett, it's just another face in front of him on his quest for immortality.
"I want to put on another spectacular show like you'd have never seen," Pimblett said. "Get a finish faster than the last one, and I'm gonna put him fast asleep."