Dan Hooker is ready to kick Paddy Pimblett’s head in, whether it’s on the street or in the Octagon.
While Pimblett is coming off his first title fight at UFC 324, it’s his quick-brewing rivalry with the ‘Hangman’ that has largely dominated headlines.
“He’s been chiming sh*t at me, and I say things back,” Hooker told Ariel Helwani. “He says I’m dog sh*t at grappling; he thinks I’m a sh*t fighter. I think he’s a sh*t fighter. We both speak our minds, and who gives a sh*t. The UFC was freaking out—‘Oh, if Dan and Paddy see each other at the hotel in Qatar…’ I’m like, what, cuz he said I’m sh*t at jiu‑jitsu? I couldn’t give a flying f*ck if someone said I’m sh*t at jiu‑jitsu. There’s nothing personal there. But sh*t has gone personal, brother.
Did Paddy Pimblett Cross the line?
The pair’s rivalry seemingly started when, during an interview, ‘The Paddy’ claimed that “Dan Hooker couldn’t grapple a f*cking rapist off his ma” while addressing Hooker’s grappling skills.
Needless to say, Hooker was not amused by the comments.
“Name a fighter in history that’s ever made a rape joke about someone’s mother,” Hooker continued. “As fighters, that’s just a line that we don’t cross. You don’t talk about family. You don’t mention people’s wives, mothers, and kids. That’s on the no‑go list. He wanted a reaction; he got one, and from that, I want to take this kid’s head off. I just needed to make sure that feeling was mutual.
“He wants to say some horrible sh*t, I’m going to say some horrible sh*t back so that when we see each other, that feeling is mutual. It’s on sight. If anyone makes a comment like that towards me, I’ll kick your head in.”
With Hooker only sitting one spot behind Pimblett in the lightweight rankings, a scrap between the two would make sense. And with their ongoing feud, it would be fairly easy sell for the UFC.
But after the beating Justin Gaethje put on the Liverpudlian, it’s possible we won’t see Pimblett back inside the Octagon until sometime during the summer.
