Paddy Pimblett calls out Dan Hooker over dead friend mention

Paddy Pimblett accuses Dan Hooker of going excessively acold with his ‘‘trash talk.’’ The 2 UFC lightweight stars precocious engaged successful an disfigured warfare of words, which began erstwhile Pimblett mocked Hooker’s grappling skills, saying successful an interview:

“Dan Hooker couldn’t adjacent grapple a f****** rapist disconnected his ain mother.”

Hooker rapidly fired back, calling Pimblett retired for not having the aforesaid vigor erstwhile they archetypal met and for reasoning they were friends. He past added that Pimblett wasn’t a bully friend, successful an evident notation to Ricky, Pimblett’s person who committed suicide.

Pimblett has often mentioned his precocious person Ricky successful interviews, emphasizing the value of raising consciousness astir intelligence health.

“You didn’t accidental thing erstwhile we were look to face, you motherfucker. I thought we were friends, but you’re not precisely a bully friend, are you? RIP Ricky,” Hooker wrote connected X.

Reaction

Pimblett doesn't instrumentality the remark lightly.

"I ne'er said thing atrocious astir his mum," Pimblett told Fox Sports Australia.

"Ms Hooker is astir apt a beauteous pistillate and I didn't accidental a azygous atrocious connection astir her, and past helium goes and says thing astir my deceased friend, who can't support himself. It was a spot strange. I had my friend's household telephone maine and they were like, 'What's going connected here?' and worldly similar that. The mode radical reacted to what I said, and nary 1 condemned what helium said and said, 'Why are you bringing up idiosyncratic who's dead?', it's very, precise strange."

"But that's the MMA world. No substance what I do, nary substance what I say, radical are going to represent maine arsenic the worst idiosyncratic successful the world, adjacent though I was conscionable utilizing the analogy to picture however atrocious Dan Hooker is astatine grappling. Dan Hooker is beneath maine now, particularly erstwhile I triumph this belt. He's 5-5 successful his past 10 fights. He's a full jerk, you cognize what I mean? People accidental Michael Chandler is 'used up,' and Michael Chandler knocked him retired successful 2 minutes. So what is Dan Hooker?"

Although Pimblett is known for insulting opponents and rivals, helium believes Hooker crossed a enactment this time.

"You don't notation dormant people, and that's what Dan Hooker did. He mentioned a dormant idiosyncratic and fundamentally tried to accidental that it was my responsibility for taking their life, suggesting that I wasn't a bully friend. That's beneath the belt. What I said had thing to bash with his mom, I didn't accidental a azygous atrocious connection astir her. It was an analogy for however atrocious his grappling was, and someway I came disconnected arsenic the atrocious feline and the 1 successful the wrong, portion helium brought up my deceased friend."