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Logan Paul has officially ruled out a highly anticipated crossover bout between him and Paddy Pimblett. The WWE performer said that his wish to face the UFC lightweight contender in the Octagon has completely disappeared after Pimblett’s incredible performance at UFC 329 inside T-Mobile Arena, four years after the two first exchanged hot verbal punches.
It used to seem difficult to overlook Paul and Pimblett’s fantasy UFC matchup. The Liverpool native dismissed the social media star as a “clout-chaser” and predicted an easy submission victory against “The Maverick” when Paul picked “The Baddy” as his ideal opponent in 2022. Many things have changed in four years. While Paul has stayed focused on WWE and shown little interest in actual MMA combat, Pimblett has made a name for himself as one of the UFC’s biggest stars.
Now, Paul is acknowledging that his response had entirely changed when The Schmo questioned whether he still wanted that fight. “No, no. So, I’ll be honest with you. There was a point where I was looking forward to a bout with Paddy. I wanted the smoke,” Paul told The Schmo.
Pimblett’s overwhelming 52-second submission victory against Benoit Saint-Denis on July 11, 2026, prompted the abrupt change in The Maverick’s perspective. The rapid-fire conclusion included elite-level grappling, which swiftly drained Paul’s competitive confidence. The influencer-turned-wrestler explained his sudden hesitancy by pointing to the great technical fluidity Pimblett demonstrated on the canvas throughout the brief fight.
Paul added, “After what he did to Benoit, bro – the way his hips bent, almost like he got suction cups on him or something, like he’s able to wrap around like a spider. It’s like he got (sic) eight legs, but he only has two, but it doesn’t look like that. So, no, no, no, I don’t want that smoke with Paddy anymore.”
Unsurprisingly, The Schmo backed up Paul’s hesitancy by recalling a past training session with Pimblett at Next Generation MMA in Liverpool in 2023. The combat sports journalist quipped that The Baddy nearly cracked his jaw, just like Anthony Joshua did to Paul’s jaw during their boxing match in 2025.
“He nearly broke The Schmo’s jaw, like Jake’s jaw when we grappled with him. The guy’s got a death grip,”The Schmo said.
Paul kept fixating on the unique biomechanics that made Pimblett such a devastating menace on the mat. He replied, “Oh yeah, no, I know. I’m telling you, his hips. I’ve been worried about his hips, and you saw in that fight (that) his hips bend in just such a weird way, like bears, like a bear. You know about bear hips? Don’t even get me started.”
The YouTuber-turned-WWE star’s concern about being submitted by the British fighter is understandable, given that 12 of his 24 victories have been via submission. Pimblett has also choked out four of his nine UFC opponents. The 31-year-old is now ranked as one of the greatest grapplers in the UFC’s lightweight class.
Paddy Pimblett Eyes Conor McGregor’s Throne As Face Of The UFC
Now, Pimblett wants to be the UFC’s face, replacing Conor McGregor.
McGregor’s comeback after a five-year hiatus was cut short after only 69 seconds of fighting Max Holloway at UFC 329 due to a leg injury. The 38-year-old former two-division champion never got going, slumping following an early kick attempt.
The UFC dropped footage of Pimblett watching the finish live, and he was open about his own intentions. Per MMA Fighting, he asked, “McGregor’s done already?” Pimblett added, “Well, he’s finished; the new boy is in town. I can become the face of the organization now.”
Pimblett called out Charles Oliveira, Ilia Topuria, Arman Tsarukyan, or Justin Gaethje (essentially the entire top of the lightweight division) as his potential next opponents. He reiterated his ambition to become Liverpool’s first undisputed global champion. The Baddy noted, “I know that’s in my destiny, whether it’s in the next fight or the next 10 fights.”
