During 2025 there was a conversation about whether the UFC currently has enough stars on the Roster.
The will of Ilia Topuria and Sean O'Malley have shown clear star quality during their very successful climbs to the top of the sport.
Alex Pereira and Islam Makhachev have big fan followings, even if they don't break albums or appear in late night talk shows.
However, a former UFC title Challenger believes that there is another athlete on the Roster that has already shown the largest crossover potential.
Chael Sonnen was present on the recent journey from the UFC to Miami and remained stunned by the fans' response to an emerging competition.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Chael Sonnen mentions Paddy Pimblett as the next large star of the UFC after being in the building for UFC 314
In a recent video on his YouTube channel, Chael Sonnen argued that Paddy Pimblett is the next big star of the UFC, instead of one of the current champions of the promotion.
'The Bad Guy' has first-hand evidence to support this case after he was amazed by the way 'The Baddy' was received in Miami before he stopped Michael Chandler in the Co-Main event.
Although he has also credited Sean O'Malley, Sonnen thinks that Pimblett might be already the latest Golden Goose of the UFC.
'Paddy is meteoric turnout. Do you want to talk about who the next big star is? I hear this all the time. Is it ilia? Is it Islam? Is it O'Malley? Is Pereira the largest star? What do we do without Conor McGregor?
Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images
Sonnen is so confident in this version because of the reaction that Pimblett received on UFC 314.
He said that although it is common for the home fans of the lightweight competition in England to dance and sing along, he created exactly the same atmosphere in Florida.
“It is almost impossible to do public interaction. That is something that Michael Jackson could do. That is something that the rock can do where the rock will bring an audience and let them sing with him.
“To have a public interaction, it is a different level of popularity. When Paddy 'The Baddy', I can't do the dance when he does his thing and a whole building, he has this beat going and they sing the song. They sing the terrible song of the god out loud.”
How the views of Paddy Pimblett are currently accumulating the other big names of the UFC
Although YouTube views on an interview after the fight are not the determining statistics for assessing star rendom, they do give an indication of where the fan requirement is for a chosen hunter.
It is worth taking into account that the way the victory and hype surrounding the fight will also influence these figures.
The five men mentioned by Chael Sonen, here is here how their latest interview after the fight after a victory occurred on the YouTube channel of the UFC:
Fighterpost-Fight Interview Current ViewSpaddy Pimblettufc 314 756K Viewilia Topuriaufc 3081M viewsis Makhakevufc 311921K viewsalex Pereirufc 307658K viewssean O'Malleyufc 2991.1m views
Another aspect to draw attention to the attention is of course that the interview of Paddy Pimblett is the only one who did not happen after a UFC title fight.
The profile of the lightweight competition continues to climb if he is able to challenge the title.