‘The kid’s always been a gobby little s***’ – Danny Roberts not surprised his former teammate Paddy Pimblett is making waves in the UFC

Danny Roberts is not surprised Paddy Pimblett has quickly become a star since joining the UFC, after training with ‘The Baddy’ throughout his teenage years.

‘Hot Chocolate’, who returns to action against Francisco Trinaldo at UFC 274 this weekend, was a long-time teammate of Pimblett at Next Generation in Liverpool.

Roberts has since left the gym, but Pimblett continues to train under Paul Rimmer and has become a huge success over the last year.

The 27-year-old appears to be a potential superstar after picking up two first-round wins and a legion of new fans since joining the UFC in 2021.

Pimblett is known for his brash personality as much as his fighting at this point. That’s not surprising to Roberts who has been around the former Cage Warriors featherweight champion since he was a child.

“The kid’s always been a gobby little s***, he’s always had a quick tongue and he’s always been about that little feistiness since he was a kid,” Roberts told talkSPORT.

“I was around him since he was about 13 or something like that, and again, like all respect to him, he stayed true to himself, and he is who he is.”

Roberts is confident Pimblett can keep his hype train going, as long as the UFC match the prospect correctly and allow him to develop into a top fighter in the coming years.

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“The UFC has bit on what he is and his profile, the same way he was when he was with Cage Warriors,” he said. “I wish him all the best of luck in the future with the fights that he’s got.

“I think he’s going to do good things within the UFC. The UFC just need to market him right and make sure they get him the right fights at the right time.”

Pimblett is expected to return to the Octagon on July 23 at the O2 Arena in London, the same card Roberts is hoping to fight on after UFC 274.

Earlier this week, UFC boss Dana White inadvertently revealed that he’s trying to match his newest start against 13-0 knockout artist Ottman Aziatar, although it remains to be seen if that fight will actually get over the line.