Sean O’Malley is eager to see two lightweight fan favorites settle the score.
Paddy Pimblett (23-4 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Dan Hooker (24-14 MMA, 14-10 UFC) recently traded barbs after Pimblett referenced Hooker’s mother to criticize his grappling. As a result, Hooker went even lower by mentioning Pimblett’s friend, who recently took his own life.
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Pimblett and Hooker competed a week apart, with Pimblett losing to Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title at UFC 324 and Hooker getting finished by Benoit Saint Denis in the UFC 325 co-headliner. Pimblett reveled in Hooker’s loss, and O’Malley thinks it’s the perfect time for them to fight.
“Dude, that’s the fight you’ve got to make, Dan Hooker vs. Paddy,” O’Malley said on his YouTube channel. “It’s a fun fight. It’s a big fight, both coming off a loss. That’s what’s so f*cking sweet about the UFC, is we’re talking about two guys that just lost, and we still want to watch them fight. UFC has done such a good job building these characters. Paddy’s done a good job of building himself; Hooker’s done a good job of being himself. It’s like these guys just both f*cking lost, and I want to watch them fight.”
More: Sean Shelby’s Shoes: What’s next for Paddy Pimblett after UFC 324 loss?
However, it doesn’t appear like either Pimblett or Hooker are looking to fight each other. Pimblett said he’s open to Saint Denis, whereas “The Hangman” called out Michael Chandler for a rematch at the White House event in June. Chandler knocked out Hooker in his promotional debut at UFC 257.
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Sean O’Malley: Paddy Pimblett vs. Dan Hooker bout ‘you’ve got to make’
