Graham Boylan, the manager of Paddy Pimblett, has blasted the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Pimblett is coming off a 52-second submission win over Benoit Saint Denis at UFC 329. It was a solid win, and after the victory, he hopped over the cage to celebrate. However, the NSAC doesn’t allow that, and now the commission is withholding his purse along with Max Holloway and Gable Steveson.
The three fighters will have disciplinary hearings at the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s monthly meeting in Las Vegas, MMAJunkie revealed. After the hearings were revealed, MMAJunkie texted Boylan who confirmed it was due to hopping the fence, which he isn’t pleased about.
“For the record, this rule needs to be changed,” Boylan wrote in a text message. “Yes, it’s the fight game, and systems need to be in play to make it all work, but this rule does nothing to support that. It’s 2026. Apply a little common sense.”
The NSAC withholding fighters’ purses for celebrating on the cage and going out of it does seem insane, and something Boylan hopes will change. It’s unclear how much of Pimblett’s purse was withheld, but Diego Lopes had $5,000 of his disclosed $100,000 show money withheld for scaling the cage at UFC 300 in April 2024. He ended up being fined $2,500 after the hearing.
Paddy Pimblett hopes to fight Ilia Topuria or Arman Tsarukyan
Although Pimblett is set for an NSAC hearing, he is already looking forward to his next fight.
Pimblett is hoping for a major fight next and is open to facing Ilia Topuria or Arman Tsarukyan, as he wants to be able to get into their heads.
“If I fight Ilia or Arman, I’m gonna absolutely rinse their lives. I’m gonna absolutely terrorize them,” Pimblett said on Green Light podcast. “But if I fight Max Holloway or Charles Oliveira I wouldn’t, because I respect them and I like them. … Don’t get me wrong, I respect Ilia, but we’ve had beef for years,” Pimblett said. “I think he’s a little helmet. I’d love to fight him and give him shit. Arman Tsarukyan, I’ve got no respect for at all. He’s just rich kid, who’s daddy’s a millionaire.”
Pimblett is 24-4 as a pro and coming off the win over Saint Denis.
Who do you think Paddy Pimblett should fight next?
This article appeared first on BJPENN.COM
