Paddy Pimblett set for awkward meeting with Conor McGregor 11 years after claiming he’d ’smoke’ him

Paddy Pimblett might’ve thought that the primary time he’d be sharing a card with Conor McGregor, he’d be fighting him.

For several months now, MMA fans have been eagerly anticipating the return of Conor McGregor, which can finally happen next Saturday at UFC 329 when he takes on Max Holloway.

‘Blessed’ Holloway has pre-warned fans about engaging in trash talk with ‘The Notorious’ Irishman on Thursday night after they meet on the pre-fight press conference.

Nevertheless, it won’t be the Hawaiian who’s the one hurling abuse at the previous double champion, as Paddy Pimblett also has a history of digging at McGregor.

After seeing how Paddy Pimblett performed against Justin Gaethje, do you expect him to ever turn out to be UFC lightweight champion? 🤔

Pimblett threatened to ‘smoke’ McGregor 11 years before sharing card with him

Paddy ‘The Baddy’ made his UFC debut back in 2021, coming into the promotion with plenty of hype due to his eccentric personality on the microphone.

After occurring a tear at lightweight before losing to Justin Gaethje earlier this 12 months, Pimblett has consistently drawn comparisons to the aforementioned McGregor.

‘The Notorious’ has seemingly all the time been on the Scouser’s radar, though, as back in 2015 after winning a featherweight title on the regional scene, Pimblett claimed he would ‘smoke’ the Irishman, before predicting that Jose Aldo would ‘kick his a–‘.

“Give me McGregor, I’ll f—— smoke him. Who’s he? (Jose) Aldo is gonna kick his a– after which when he does I’ll kick his a–,” Pimblett continued.

At one point, it seemed as if the pair could possibly be on a collision course heading straight for one another, but up until this point, they’ve evaded one another.

After suffering his first UFC loss in January, it seemed as if ‘The Baddy’ can be shortlisted as a possible opponent for McGregor’s return, but he missed out on that luxury.

Each fighters are widely known for his or her trash talk, and with them each scheduled to be up on stage together on Thursday evening for the pre-fight press conference, security will likely be on deck in case of any kick-offs.