“It’s Good for D**ckheads Like Arman” – Paddy Pimblett Explains Why He’ll Never Compete for RAF
Paddy Pimblett, for one, is certain that RAF, or any other combat sports avenue outside the UFC, is simply not for him.
Real American Freestyle (RAF) has quickly become a secondary stomping ground for UFC fighters, including some of the promotion's elite. Top stars like Arman Tsarukyan, Merab Dvalishvili, and even Khamzat Chimaev have made multiple appearances for the organization.
Paddy Pimblett, for one, is certain that RAF, or any other combat sports avenue outside the UFC, is simply not for him.
RAF is a professional, unscripted freestyle wrestling league co-founded by Chad Bronstein, Israel Martinez and Eric Bischoff in 2025. The promotion brings together elite Olympic and collegiate wrestlers alongside active and former MMA fighters. It uses a modified freestyle wrestling format designed to encourage action and scoring. MMA stars like Covington have quickly become one of the organisation's biggest faces.
Paddy Pimblett Disses Arman Tsarukyan As He Offers Rationale to Stay Away From RAF
Paddy Pimblett's rationale for staying away from RAF, however, isn't born out of any aversion or hatred towards the organization. Pimblett, who has his sights firmly set on the coveted UFC lightweight championship, simply doesn't want to divert his energy elsewhere or risk picking up an injury while exploring such opportunities.
Furthermore, 'The Baddy' also fears that competing in such events could expose aspects of his game for potential opponents to study and prepare for. During a recent appearance on episode #188 of The JRE MMA Show, Pimblett explained:
“I'm an MMA fighter, first and foremost. So I'm not gonna go and do some grappling thing or some wrestling thing or anything like that,” Pimblett said.
Responding to Rogan, explaining how Cub Swanson blew out his ACL during a wrestling match, he responded:
“That's what I mean. I don't know why people do it. And it gives away part of your game. It gives away part of your game that you're gonna surprise people with. I'm just not gonna go and do anything like that. I'm a fighter at the end of the day. I wanna be an MMA fighter, a UFC champion. So I'm not gonna go and do this s**t.”
Suffice it to say, with one of his arch-rivals, Arman Tsarukyan, having made multiple appearances for RAF, the Scouser also took the opportunity to take a direct dig at the Armenian-Russian, saying:
"It's good for d**kheads like Arman, who need the publicity because no one likes him. You know what I mean? It's good for people like that."
Check out Paddy Pimblett's rationale for not competing for RAF below:
Paddy Pimblett Opposes Oblique Kicks Potentially Being Banned in the UFC
Going by the tangent of Paddy Pimblett's injury fears, however, 'The Baddy' does not seem particularly consistent in his thinking. When it comes to the idea of banning oblique kicks, a move that has cut short many a career in MMA, he does not seem to be on board...
During the aforementioned JRE segment, when Joe Rogan explained how oblique kicks were on the way out of the UFC, Pimblett said:
“I don't think that should be made illegal."
When Rogan probed whether he thinks it should just be a thing that fighters should have to deal with, Pimblett responded:
"Yeah, just like everything else when we have a fight.”
Check out Paddy Pimblett's comments below:
