Conor McGregor is going through a pretty rough phase in his life, where his recent controversies have marred his personal life as well as the professional side of things. But amidst the chaos, the respect for the Irishman in the MMA community hasn’t necessarily diminished. This was evident when UFC lightweight star Paddy Pimblett shared unexpected praise during a recent interview.

Paddy Pimblett, for Dana White, is Conor McGregor’s second coming. This is largely in part to his ability to overcome doubters. The 29-year-old is still undefeated in the UFC as opposed to ‘The Notorious’. However, the Liverpool native doesn’t deny the kind of impact McGregor has had on the MMA game and admitted that there is one important quality about the former UFC double champion he seems to “admire” the most, and that ability to bet on himself.

“That’s one thing that you’ve got to admire about Conor McGregor a lot is self-belief. That’s what got him where he is, lad, self-belief,” Paddy Pimblett told ‘Stillryan’. “He believes in himself that much that he manifests it. He always saw it coming.” The lightweight star addressed Conor McGregor’s controversies outside the Octagon. However, those problems can never diminish what he’s done in mixed martial arts by becoming the biggest star in all of the combat sports.

“People don’t like him because of other stuff that he’s done outside of the cage, but lad, you’ve got to respect him for what he’s done in it. Even the way he went and boxed Floyd,” Paddy Pimblett added.

Given that Dana White claims to see Conor McGregor in Paddy Pimblett, is there any chance that both these fighters clash inside the Octagon one day? Well, perhaps that can happen if ‘The Notorious’ wanted to, but ‘The Baddy’ seems to have his conditions for the dream matchup.

Paddy Pimblett’s condition to fight Conor McGregor

It’s always a day to earn a big payout whenever a contender takes on Conor McGregor. That’s a guaranteed aspect of taking on the Irishman, so Pimblett doesn’t seem to have any problems on that front. But what he does have a problem with is cutting weight to 155 pounds. ‘The Baddy’ has previously spoken about fighting either Colby Covington or McGregor, but he wants to do it at 170 pounds – at welterweight – which has been the weight class that ‘The Notorious’ is planning to make his return at.

“I actually said that to my manager [that] It’s too late now to make lightweight for the UFC events at the end of the year. I’d rather not kill myself trying to make weight. But if they want to get me Colby [Covington] or McGregor at welterweight, I’d do it,” Paddy Pimblett told ‘Liverpool Echo’. “I’d fight either at welterweight because they aren’t massive welterweights. I don’t think many welterweights are that big compared to me.”, he further added.

Conor McGregor, without a doubt, has an unmatched resume in MMA, but all his legal problems as of late have put the whole attention away from his fighting career. Do you think he’s coming back in 2025 for sure? Drop your comments below.