Paddy Pimblett and Dan Hooker’s friendship went up in flames over the weekend after the two lightweights became involved in an ugly war of words over social media.
The fallout began when Pimblett, who squares off with Justin Gaethje for the interim title on Jan 24 at UFC 324, took aim at Hooker’s grappling while talking about top contender Arman Tsarukyan.
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Tsarukyan impressed on his return to the Octagon in November, submitting Hooker in dominant fashion. Pimblett, however, was far from impressed.
“People are saying that Justin Gaethje’s old – lad, he’s two years older than Dan Hooker,” Pimblett told MMA Guru.
“Dan Hooker couldn’t grapple a f**king rapist off his ma.”
The remark didn’t go unnoticed by Hooker, who fired back at The Baddy over social media.
On X, he posted: “It’s on site u fat b*tch.”
But the feud took a darker turn when Hooker referenced a friend of Pimblett’s who died by suicide in 2022.
Sharing a video clip of the pair being friendly at UFC Qatar, he wrote: “Ain’t said s**t when we were face to face b**ch. I thought we were mates, but you’re not a very good mate are you @PaddyTheBaddy. RIP Ricky.”
Pimblett, who has been outspoken about mental health issues and suicide awareness, fired back immediately.
“Thought we couldn’t be mates cause I’m ranked above you,” Pimblett wrote on X.
“You took a hypothetical joke about how bad your grappling is and responded by talking s**t about my mate who committed suicide?
“Now that’s lowest of the low, and on site is fine by me. You’re utter dogs**t at fighting.”
Although Hooker and Pimblett had been on friendly terms before the blowup, tensions may have been simmering beneath the surface.
Hooker raised some eyebrows during an interview last year when he explained that he wanted to fight Tsarukyan instead of Pimblett because he’s a “good” fighter.
“He [Pimblett] keeps looking better than he looked before but like, he never really looked that good,” Hooker told Submission Radio.
“No, I don’t think the guy’s that good and then it brings out the best of me when I fight like an actual good fighter.
“When they give me someone that I think I can beat or I think someone’s s**t, then I fight s**t.
“My mind subconsciously relaxes because I think they’re s**t and then I do s**t and then they beat me… So I’d rather just fight the best guy so I actually perform well.”
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Pimblett has been slammed by many fight fans for kicking off the feud with his crude remark about Hooker’s mother – but former UFC champion Michael Bisping doesn’t think it’s “that bad”.
“He was trying to explain how bad Dan Hooker’s grappling was. He used kind of an unhinged analogy, and he is getting absolutely murdered online,” Bisping said on his YouTube channel.
“I am not going to defend Paddy, but I am going to kind of defend him, if you know what I am saying.
“He said that the grappling was so bad that he could not stop an attacker going after his mum. People are saying that it is out of bounds and off limits, and have some respect.
“People are really going after Paddy for this, and obviously, Dan Hooker came out with a wild response as well. He was just having a laugh, and a lot of people are shocked by this,” he added.
“He is a lad from Liverpool, where they do have a great sense of humor, but it can be a little cutting and a little dark.
“I am not defending the fact that he brought up Dan Hooker’s mum because he should not have done that. But in the context, it was not that bad.
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“He never said anything too bad, and he was basically talking about Dan Hooker’s grappling. … Given what Paddy said, the gloves are off and all is fair in love and war.”
While the feud continues online, Hooker will himself be back in action in Sydney next month at UFC 325 against dangerous Frenchman Benoit Saint Denis.
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