Paddy Pimblett is accusing Dan Hooker of going too far with his trash talk.
The UFC lightweight stars recently became embroiled in an ugly war of words, which began with Pimblett mocking Dan Hooker’s grappling ability, saying in an interview, “Dan Hooker couldn’t grapple a f*cking rapist off his ma.” Hooker was quick to reply, calling out Pimblett for not having the same energy when they previously met, and seemingly making a reference to “Ricky,” a friend of Pimblett’s who died by suicide.
Suffice to say, Pimblett is not taking that comment lightly.
“I never said nothing bad about his mom,” Pimblett told Fox Sports Australia. “Mrs. Hooker’s probably a lovely woman and I never said a bad word about his mom, but then he goes on and says something about my dead mate, who can’t defend himself. It was a bit weird. I had my friend’s family messaging me saying, ‘What’s going on here?’ and all that. Like, the way people have went on about what I said, but no one’s [condemned] what he said and said, ‘What are you doing mentioning someone who’s dead?’ is very, very strange.
“But you know, that’s the MMA world for you. No matter what I do, no matter what I say, people will make me look like the worst man alive when I just used an analogy for how bad Dan Hooker’s grappling is. Dan Hooker’s beneath me now, especially when I win this belt. He’s 5-5 in his last 10. He’s an absolute crab, you know what I mean? People are calling Michael Chandler ‘washed’ and Michael Chandler knocked him out in two minutes. So what’s Dan Hooker?”
Pimblett has spoken about his friend Ricky on multiple occasions while advocating for more attention to be given to mental health initiatives. It’s unclear what Hooker’s intention was in bringing up the name (his social media caption simply read “RIP Ricky”) but Pimblett certainly interpreted it as an insult.
Though Pimblett has become well-known for lobbing insults at his opponents and rivals, he believes Hooker crossed the line on this occasion.
“You don’t mention dead people and that’s what Dan Hooker’s done,” Pimblett said. “Dan Hooker’s mentioned a dead person and basically tried to say it was fault that he killed himself, saying that I’m not a good friend. That’s below the belt. What I said was nothing to do with his mom, never said a bad word about his mom. What I said was an analogy for how bad his grappling is and somehow I’m the bad guy and I’m the one who’s in the wrong when he’s mentioned my dead friend.”
Up next for Pimblett, he fights Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 324 next Saturday with an interim lightweight title on the line. Should Pimblett be victorious, he puts himself at the front of the line to face undisputed champion Ilia Topuria, who is currently on hiatus as he deals with personal matters.
The championship path means it’s unlikely Pimblett and Hooker cross paths anytime soon. For now, Pimblett can take some enjoyment in Hooker’s recent loss at UFC Qatar, where he was submitted by Arman Tsarukyan. It’s Tsarukyan that Pimblett apparently passed in the contender line and even though Tsarukyan has long been ranked as the UFC’s No. 1 contender at 155 pounds, Pimblett has no sympathy for him.
“He wasn’t promised a title shot, though, was he?” Pimblett said. ““But then he head butted [Hooker] at the weigh-in. You can’t trust someone who does stupid stuff like that.
“Arman’s brought it all on himself. He’s a stupid, little, spoiled brat and it’s his own fault that he hasn’t got a title shot. He would have had his title shot by now if he didn’t turn fights down, head butt people at weigh-ins, punch fans on his way out. He only does that because he’s got daddy’s money behind him and he’s paid his way out of everything his whole life. It doesn’t work like that in the UFC.”
If you or someone you know is dealing with mental health issues, please reach out.
In the U.S., the 988 Lifeline can be reached at 1-800-985-5990, or by text via 988 or at 988lifeline.org.
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