Midnight Mania! Paddy Pimblett answers Jake Paul’s $1 million spar: ‘Challenge accepted’

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Paddy Pimblett does fully fit into the usual criteria for a potential Jake Paul opponent. For one, “The Baddy” remains in the prime of his career. Worse yet, he’s still in the midst of his UFC contract, not free to pursue a boxing match without … complications.

However, there are some of the usual plus signs for Paul. Pimblett is a grappler first and foremost, and despite his habit of swelling up to 200 pounds, he would be the smaller man. Most importantly, he’s quickly developed into a huge star, and Paul knows how to craft high-profile bookings. Perhaps these various pros and cons of engaging with “The Baddy” are why Paul chose to call him out for a $1 million sparring session rather than an official boxing match. If he can’t actually fight Pimblett, he might as well build some additional publicity off the beef, which began recently when Pimblett accused Paul of fixing his fights.

It hasn’t taken long for Pimblett to respond. Even aside from the potential boost in fame, a million bucks on the line for a sparring session isn’t an offer that comes around everyday! Pimblett isn’t willing to fly to Puerto Rico for the sparring match, but he’s down to scrap in Vegas after UFC 282 concludes.

“Challenge accepted,” Pimblett replied. “But I’m not going to Puerto Rico when I’m fighting next Saturday. If you wanna come and spar, get to the PI [UFC Performance Institute] next week. As I say, I fight Saturday, I’ll chill Sunday, and I’ll beat you up Monday. Offer’s there.”

Somehow, this seems like too many dominos would have to fall in place for a sparring session to actually materialize in the next couple works. Perhaps, however, it’s the seed of a future showdown of some kind between “Baddy” and “The Problem Child?”

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Sleep well Maniacs! More martial arts madness is always on the way.