Brendan Loughnane has stated that he doesn’t believe Paddy Pimblett is UFC top-ten material and that Darren Till needs a head coach to be a voice of reason following UFC 282.
Recently crowned PFL featherweight champion Loughnane cornered Till in his bout at UFC 282 this past weekend. Despite receiving rave reviews for his advice in the corner, it was a disappointing night for him as Till lost to Dricus Du Plessis by submission, whilst elsewhere Paddy took home a controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon in the co-main event.
The Mancunian has given his thoughts on where the two scousers stand after their performances in an interview with Sky Sports.
Brendan Loughnane On Darren Till’s Performance
“I thought that too” Loughnane responds when questioned on not expecting to have such a large role in the corner on Saturday night. “I do agree that he needs a voice of reason. I’m not a head coach, I’m an MMA Fighter and I do my best but you’re right. Darren does need that voice of reason, I’ve got mine, I’ve had mine from day one and so has he. He has had that guy from day one but whatever’s gone on has gone on and it’s time for Darren now to find that guy.” Brendan is referring to Till’s long-term coach from Team Kaobon Colin Heron here who he trained away from whilst switching camps to Thailand having trained across multiple gyms ahead of this fight.
“He’s in great spirits. Nothing will faze Darren now, he’s had plenty of losses & plenty of wins. We trained together for the fights & I ended up with a world title & Darren ended up with a loss so I’m sure the roles will be reversed one day, that’s just the way MMA is.” Loughnane added.
“He’s fighting Robert Whittaker, Wonderboy, Dricus, and Gastelum, murderers row. He’s fought absolutely everyone. I think he could’ve beaten Dricus and I think he’s the better fighter, by a mile. I just think a few little mistakes led to the loss so it’s time to go back and re-evaluate them.”
Brendan Questions Paddy Pimblett’s Ceiling
“Paddy’s marmite, you love him or you hate him,” Loughnane stated. “But I don’t think he did himself any favours this week, with the whole Ariel thing. I’ve not seen the fight but from what I’m hearing from yourself and other people that he didn’t win. Its’ been a tough week for Paddy & I think, I’m just being brutally honest I know Paddy, I like Paddy but he’s not top-ten material in the UFC, he’s not. I don’t know. Maybe he thinks he is but I really don’t, and I know, I train with the top-ten UFC guys on a regular and I know the levels. It’s scary. 155 top-ten is insane and it’s time for Paddy to go to the drawing board too with it.”
“It’s difficult to say because he just pulls win’s out the bag as well,” Loughnane responds when asked if Paddy had reached his limit with the level of his opponents. “Pulls chokes out of nowhere. He’s a very good grappler. If he gets you on the ground he will submit ya. Great back attacks and really goes for it. It’s a tough one with Paddy Pimblett, he’ll win some and he’ll lose some. His stock did drop that’s for sure.”
Summary
Brendan Loughnane clearly remains optimistic for Till’s future and retains the belief he can still reach his potential. Being only 29 but it’s certainly going to take a big turnaround for the once-UFC title challenger, having lost 5 of his last 6. With injuries building and losses piling up, it’s potentially a now-or-never moment to evaluate & change the career trajectory of Darren Till.
As for Paddy, Brendan is one of many who is questioning how limited his ceiling is following UFC 282. Everyone from fans to media to the majority of the lightweight division has been calling his weaknesses out, and even UK great Michael Bisping voiced major concerns over who Paddy could have success against going forward. From here, it’s either a step up to a murderer’s row filled with big risks or an underwhelming step back.
𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗗𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝗧𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗣𝗶𝗺𝗯𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝘁𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹? 𝗟𝗲𝘁 𝘂𝘀 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄.
Feature image credits to Embed from Getty Images
