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Paddy Pimblett has Liverpool’s plan to convince Dana White to sanction UFC fight at Anfield

Posted on by L. Dreeye
Paddy Pimblett has Liverpool’s plan to convince Dana White to sanction UFC fight at Anfield

UFC superstar Paddy Pimblett has made no secret of his dream of one day fighting at Anfield.

Paddy Pimblett

UFC superstar Paddy Pimblett has admitted the fight at Anfield will be about more than just winning the lightweight belt and called on Dana White to bring MMA’s most lucrative promotion back to Liverpool.

The city of Liverpool has not hosted a UFC event since Darren Till defeated Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson in front of 8,000 fans at the M&S Bank Arena in May 2018.

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But the emergence of Next Generation Gym duo Pimblett and Molly McCann has sparked talk of a potential fight taking place at Anfield in the near future.

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UFC President White has previously stated his reluctance to hold events in stadiums rather than arenas because he believes it spoils the experience.

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But lightweight contender Pimblett, who defeated American Bobby Green at UFC 304 in July, believes White would have been fully prepared to stage the event at Liverpool’s iconic home had he tried the match at Anfield beforehand.

“Hopefully I can convince him (Dana White) to come out at Anfield,” Pimblett told OLBG. “He needs to come to a football match to see what the atmosphere is like because I think he thinks it ruins the atmosphere (going out). But that doesn’t happen at Anfield. When there are 60,000 Scousers there, that won’t happen.”

And if the UFC were to make its L4 debut, the 29-year-old, a lifelong Liverpool supporter, says it would be a bigger deal for him than a lightweight title fight.

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“No matter who I fought, it would probably mean more than just winning belts,” added Pimblett, who has a 7-0-0 record in the UFC since his debut three years ago. “I went to Anfield and touched the badge. It would be hard.

“But yeah (losing in front of the home fans), it’s always in your head, you can’t think about it. You always have to keep it in the back of your mind, it can definitely happen.” »

Ahead of UFC 304 in July, Pimblett told the ECHO that Liverpool chief executive Billy Hogan was more than happy for the fight night to take place at Anfield.

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“I spoke to people at Anfield about it. I have spoken to the Liverpool CEO and they are all ready and happy to make it happen. They want to do it,” Pimblett said.

“They told me this many times. I sit in the Legends Lounge when I go to (Liverpool) games and I’ve been in the boardroom where the CEO is sitting and they want to do this. I would love for the UFC to contact them and do this.”

Pimblett added: “It doesn’t have to be a title fight, I would sell it without a title. What is Anfield like now? 60,000, and with seats on the site 70,000, 80,000? I would sell it, I promise you. Now.”