Ronda Rousey has identified Paddy Pimblett as the UFC fighter she would most like to recruit for an MVP MMA event. Rousey is set to headline an MVP MMA card this Saturday on Netflix, facing Gina Carano in the main event at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles. The undercard features notable matchups including Francis Ngannou vs. Philipe Lins, Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry, and Junior dos Santos vs. Robelis Despaigne, alongside Salahdine Parnasse vs. Kevin Cross and preliminary bouts featuring Adriano Moraes, Jason Jackson, and Aline Pereira. Rousey expressed her excitement about the already impressive lineup.
Why Ronda Rousey Believes Paddy Pimblett is Ideal for MVP MMA
In a recent interview with Complex, Rousey named Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett as her prime UFC target for MVP MMA. She emphasized his appeal goes beyond wins or championships, stating, “I just think that he’s an incredible character on his own. Yeah, and he doesn’t need a belt. He doesn’t need a brand. People will watch him just for him.”
Pimblett, holding a 23-4 record in the UFC’s lightweight division, has secured victories against opponents like Tony Ferguson, Terrance McKinney, and Michael Chandler. The 31-year-old Liverpudlian trains at Next Generation MMA and fights orthodox. His skillset combines Brazilian jiu-jitsu proficiency with powerful striking derived from his boxing background.
Rousey shared that even casual fans, not deeply invested in MMA, contact her about Pimblett’s captivating walkouts. “I’ve had friends of mine that aren’t even that interested in MMA hit me up and be like, ‘Oh my god, did you see his entrance?’ And an entrance giving people chills is something you can’t teach, and something that he has in spades,” she commented.
Gina Carano enters the MVP bout with a 7-1 professional record, her last fight being a loss to Cris Cyborg in Strikeforce in 2009. Rousey, a former UFC champion, is returning to competition after a significant layoff. The MVP event will utilize a hexagonal cage and Unified Rules for their five-round featherweight bout at 145 pounds.
Rousey sees strategic value in attracting fighters like Pimblett, even if they remain with the UFC. She believes their presence could provide leverage for better compensation: “Even if they stay in the UFC, to have the leverage to get compensated more fairly.” The event’s preliminary card is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. ET on YouTube and Tudum, with the main card commencing at 9 p.m. on Netflix.
