British UFC lightweight fighter Paddy Pimblett gives credit to Islam Makhachev, but is confident he could give the Russian a tougher fight than Charles Oliveira.
Paddy Pimblett
I got so many punches for betting on Charles winning against Islam. Yes, I named him because Charles fought stronger opponents and I thought he would win. People say I don't give Islam enough credit, even though I do. He looked incredible that night and totally dominated Charles. But honestly, I would have performed better against him than Charles.
Makhachev and Oliveira fought this past October at UFC 280. Makhachev won that bout with a choke in the second round and earned the light heavyweight championship belt. He has 23 wins and one loss on his record. Oliveira had 33 wins and nine losses.
Pimblett will face American Jared Gordon at UFC 282 on the night of December 11 in Las Vegas. Paddy was in the octagon against American Jordan Leavitt in July of this year. That fight ended in Pimblett's favor by a choke in the second round. He has 19 wins and three losses under his belt.
