London, England — Jordan Leavitt has become infamous for twerking in the octagon after wins. He reiterated on Wednesday, during the UFC London media day, that he plans exactly that celebration should he beat Paddy Pimblett Saturday at UFC London.
Pimblett (18-3) responded later in the day that he has his own post-fight celebration planned. “I’m going to teabag him, lad.”
While Pimblett was nice enough to clarify just what teabagging is, chances are, you can guess.
Leavitt has suggested it might be a grappler versus grappler showdown that plays out at the O2 Arena in London this weekend, but Pimblett had something to say about that as well.
“No, it’s not. I’m going to come out, I’m going to take his head off,” the Liverpool lightweight stated, speaking to media outlets including Cageside Press. “I’m not going to be shooting no takedowns. I’m coming to stand with him, to take his head off. I’m coming to take his chin home with me. He can’t throw a punch to save his life, lad. He really can’t lad. He doens’t come into fights to win, he comes into fights not to lose. Try and take me down, sit on top of me and sniff my balls for three rounds. It’s not going to work.”
If Pimblett sounds fired up, there’s a reason. For the first time, he’s got an opponent who he genuinely dislikes.
“He’s pissed me off, lad,” Pimblett admitted. “I didn’t mind him when the fight got announced. I really didn’t mind him lad. He had 12,000 followers, he’s now got 30,000 just off the back of my name. For people who [looks back] ‘what the f*ck was that?’ For people who don’t like me. His followers has nearly tripled just because people don’t like me. He can talk all the shite he wants lad, but he knows full well once that cage door closes, I’m going to come out and I’m going to take his head home with me.”
“Paddy the Baddy” feels that outside the skill set in the cage, Leavitt will be at a vast disadvantage when it comes to the crowd in London. “He’s only ever fought in the Apex. He’s never fought anywhere else. He’s never fought with a crowd, and now he’s fighting with my crowd. Lad, his head’s going to fall off. As I was saying before, this might be the first time someone sh*ts themself in the octagon.”
It won’t be — that has happened before, with apologies to Justine Kish. Informed of this, Pimblett corrected himself. “It might be the first time they have to mop a bit of sh*t up off the floor.”
After the highly touted London event this past March, there’s a feeling that July’s UFC London card is a chance for an encore performance from European fighters like Paddy Pimblett. That’s something he feels as well.
“Yeah of course. I know we’re all coming out to get wins, all the Europeans. We don’t turn up to lose, lad. We turn up to put on a show in a big way. [Daniel Cormier] said to me yesterday, ‘you Europeans are so confident.’ I’m like, ‘it’s because we have full faith in our ability.’ I think every European on the card is going to win. That’s just the way I look at it.” Pimblett even has some advice for those betting on the fights — put money on himself, Molly McCann, and Tom Aspinall. “Because that’s coming in.”
Watch the full UFC London media day appearance from Paddy Pimblett above. The event takes place this Saturday, July 23, 2022 at the O2 Arena in London, England.
