One of many UFC’s rising stars within the light-weight division ‘The Baddy’ Paddy Pimblett shared his perspective on why Muay Thai fighters are seldom seen within the UFC regardless of being the best strikers on earth.
Paddy Pimblett on Muay Thai Fighters
Paddy Pimblett pointed to cultural elements, monetary obligations, and technical variations between Muay Thai and MMA athletes. Discussing the challenges confronted by Muay Thai fighters, Pimblett pressured the life-style a lot of them lead.
“Them Thai fighters—some of them start fighting from the age of six, seven, eight, and they’re fighting every week,” Paddy Pimblett defined. “They’re the breadwinners for the family from that age, man. That’s madness.” By the point a Muay Thai fighter is of their late 20s, their profession is probably going accomplished after a whole lot of matches.
Pimblett described a generational cycle in Thailand, the place fighters usually come from households deeply rooted in Muay Thai custom. “Because their dad’s been fighting since he was a kid, all the way up into the stadiums, and then he’ll have a kid… You’re just seeing this cycle,” he mentioned.
One other issue Pimblett touched on is the cultural reverence for Muay Thai. “You never see Thai fighters in the UFC, though, do you? That’s because they all do Thai. It’s like an honorable thing in their country as well,” he famous. “There’s so much honor there in fighting Thai, especially fighting in their stadiums in Thailand.”
On the technical aspect, Pimblett believes the normal Muay Thai stance doesn’t adapt properly to MMA. “The stance doesn’t cross over well. It just invites takedowns, really,” he defined.
Some Thai-based fighters have seen success within the UFC similar to Loma Lookboonme and in MMA Stamp Fairtex. In any other case, Muay Thai-based fighters have discovered success in MMA however are likely to have combined backgrounds in coaching similar to Anderson Silva, Jose Aldo, and Valentina Shevchenko.
With an expert report of 22-3 and an undefeated streak within the UFC, Pimblett continues to solidify his place as a prime contender within the aggressive UFC light-weight division. He’s a former two-division Cage Warriors champion who has made fairly an affect since debuting within the UFC.
