Paddy Pimblett has dismissed years of speculation that Conor McGregor once tried to lure him out during a wild night in Liverpool, as the pair prepare to share the same card at UFC 329 this weekend in what will be McGregor’s first fight in five years.
Paddy Pimblett has moved to shut down a long-standing rumour that Conor McGregor once showed up at his family home during a night out in Liverpool, calling the story completely untrue. The claim dates back almost a decade to McGregor’s visit to the city for the Grand National, when the Irishman arrived bare-chested in a fleet of Rolls Royces, hosted a DJ set at a nightclub, and attended a house party during a three-day stretch in Liverpool. Among the stories that emerged from that visit was a persistent claim that McGregor had tried to draw Pimblett out to join him.
‘It Never Happened At All’
Pimblett was blunt in dismissing the story, which has continued to circulate for years despite no evidence it ever took place. “It’s a load of s****. It never happened at all,” he said. “When he was in Liverpool, people said that he knocked on me house. Some people made it up that he wanted to fight me, some people made it up like he wanted to get me out to party with him.” He pointed to his living situation at the time as further reason to doubt the claim. “This is like 2017, I was still fighting on Cage Warriors, but I was still living in my mum’s at the time, and she has cameras on the house, and no one knocked on our door. Unless he knocked on the wrong door.”
Pimblett described the episode as a clear example of how stories can take on a life of their own on social media, growing over the years despite lacking any real substance.
Shared Card, Different Pressures
The pair are now set to appear on the same UFC 329 card this weekend, with McGregor facing Max Holloway and Pimblett taking on Benoit Saint-Denis. Despite sharing the bill with McGregor on his long-awaited return to the octagon, Pimblett has played down any added significance to the occasion. “This is just another fight to me, you know what I mean?” he said. “I’m back in Vegas, fighting again. It’s just a lot less pressure this time because all the pressure’s on Conor. He’s got more media than anyone, and I normally have the most media, so it’s just another fight.”
Pimblett said his focus remains entirely on Saint-Denis, whom he regards as one of the biggest tests of his UFC career so far, rather than being drawn into the attention surrounding McGregor’s comeback. With McGregor’s return dominating media coverage, Pimblett said he has been able to prepare with considerably less scrutiny than usual. A win over Saint-Denis would mark a further step forward in his push toward lightweight title contention.
UFC 329 marks McGregor’s first scheduled fight in five years, making the event one of the most highly anticipated on this year’s UFC calendar.
