UFC lightweight Kazula Vargas doesn’t think Paddy Pimblett’s fame and popularity are warranted ahead of their matchup at UFC London.
Vargas and Pimblett will square off on the UFC London main card in front of what should be a raucous crowd at The O2 Arena. This will be Pimblett’s second fight in the UFC, and first in the U.K. since his time in Cage Warriors.
Vargas is looking to steal the show and earn a big win over Pimblett. He’s coming off of a unanimous decision win over Zhu Rong at UFC 261 last year.
Pimblett earned the main card slot due to a massive following. But, Vargas isn’t sure if Pimblett is deserving of the added attention this early in his UFC tenure.
During his UFC London pre-fight press conference, Vargas questioned whether or not Pimblett’s accolades in MMA are worth the intense hype ahead of their fight.
“It’s normal for him to have all this hype, he’s from London and most of his fights have been here. But I actually think he’s a bit of a kid. He’s got good things, but he’s got a lot of bad things as well.
“He’s probably overrated.”
Vargas went on to explain why he feels Pimblett is overrated and what he’s taken from his past performances.
“I haven’t seen all of his fights, but I’ve seen about five or six. I think he’s got a lot of holes in his fights and we’ll try to take advantage of that. But like all UFC fighters, we’re here because we’re the best and we’ll try to take advantage of those holes.”
Pimblett was arguably the biggest signing by the UFC in 2021, following a decorated stint in Cage Warriors. His debut arguably lived up to the immense hype with a first-round knockout of Luigi Vendramini last September.
Vargas is looking to back up his claim that Pimblett is overrated this weekend at UFC London. If he’s able to earn a win over Pimblett, he may steal some of his hype in the process.
What is your prediction for Kazula Vargas vs. Paddy Pimblett?
