Jon Anik has seen many comparisons between the upstarts Paddy Pimblett and Ian Machado Garry.
Garry is scheduled to headline UFC Kansas City with Carlos Prato this Saturday, but Pinblett has been ruled out from the biggest win of his career over Michael Chandler at UFC 314.
“Well, I think part of that is because people have selective memories of Michael Chandler’s work and how he is stylisted, because he fought against elite men. “But Michael Chandler was so close to beating one of those elite men, that the whole story about the changing career of Chandler’s career depicts similarities with Ian Machado Garry when it comes to Paddy Pinblett.
“Like when I save the battle cards and intentionally save some of these, but the reason I have all the Iliatopria fighter cards is because I thought he would be something. Did you come to the UFC at age 21 (year) but to the guy who came when he was the right athlete, and the fact that they are legal, average winning streak, the violent nature of his game, unlike some people, that a child with (with) a child has his level of discipline and motivation elsewhere?
“Like Sean O’Malley, when he has a child, the child is like he’s motivated to say, ‘No, I’m doing this for myself.’ But I respect that too.
After the victory, Pinblett has been sought a fight against top candidates, especially Charles Oliveira, to solidify his championship opportunity.
If Pinblett chose to focus his promotional juice on winning Chandler in Miami to win a title shot, Anik wouldn’t have criticized him a bit.
“When Chandler sat with him before he fought, he wasn’t talking about the Islamic Makhachev,” Annick explained. “Islam has no obvious enemy now. Heaven bans Paddy Pinblet.
“I thought Ian Machado Garry really had and should have got a title fight against Beral Muhammad in Montreal. The reason Shavkat couldn’t go is because he had to do 25 hard (minutes) against Ian Machado Garry. I don’t necessarily have that flaw in that matchup as it was washed in a non-competitive way against Charles Oliveira.
“For me, it’s like Patty Pinblett Charles Oliveira became my dream battle right next to Kamza Chimaev and Doricus Duplesis. So, unless he thinks he’s absolutely going to wash it, I don’t know that the loss to Charles was necessarily a downside. The emperor was like screwing himself up, and then there was no obvious line.”