How Paddy Pimblett is guiding one of the best prospects in the world to global superstardom

Blessed with sublime grappling and an unrelenting will to win, Paddy Pimblett has proven himself as one of the best fighters in the UK. And now, he’s going above and beyond to guide the next generation to MMA glory.

‘The Baddy’ shares Next Gen MMA in Liverpool, with possibly the most exciting prospect in England.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesPaddy Pimblett is helping George Staines achieve his MMA dreamsWith the help of Paddy Pimblett, former European IMMAF Champion, George Staines, who accumulated an astonishing 16-1 record in the amateur ranks, is setting the professional game alight.

The gifted fighter, previously referred to as ‘Starkiller’ due to his love of Star Wars, is making waves in Oktagon MMA with his impressive performances.

On Saturday night, at Oktagon 61, in front of a packed house at the Winning Group Arena in Brno, Czech Republic, the gifted grappler dominated former interim title challenger, Jakub Tichota, over three brutal rounds.

Having won the DAZN and Channel 4 reality show, Oktagon Challenge: England vs Ireland, and established himself as an undefeated professional, with a 3-0 record, ‘St George’ is growing at a rapid rate, especially now he’s working with Pimblett at Next Gen MMA in Liverpool.

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The talented fighter has sparred many a tough round with the UFC star, soaking up all the words of wisdom the former Cage Warriors champion has to offer.

At the Oktagon 61 post-fight press conference, he told Bloody Elbow: “I do a lot of rounds with Paddy [Pimblett] and Shem [Rock] anyway. They help me with little bits of information. They say, ‘You could’ve done this a little better or do this variation’.

“They all help me. I had two other teammates, Adam Cullen and Nathan Fletcher, come out here with me. I do a lot of rounds with those two. The whole team, we all bring each other on, and that’s exactly what you want in a team. You make each other better.”

With Staines demolishing his opposition, he’s already targeting a shot at the belt in Europe’s biggest MMA promotion. However, he’s aware that greatness takes time.

He insisted: “I reckon I want another three fights until I start thinking about a title fight. I’ll be 6-0 then; it’s a respectable thing.

“I don’t want to kick him while he’s down, but look at what happened to Tichota. He got to 5-0 and then fought [Mate] Sanikidse and [Losene] Keita, and now he’s on a three-fight skid. It’s not done him any favors for going for that title early.

“You’ve got to learn by the mistakes of others. Obviously, I’m a better fighter, I’ve just proven that then, but I’ve still got to take my time. As of right now, I don’t deserve to be in the top 15. I still need to prove myself. I’m getting better every fight.”

George Staines loves playing with legoAway from the cage, Staines isn’t a typical fighter.

Rather than exuding an aggressive bravado, the 24-year-old, who celebrated his birthday the day before his recent fight, is completely and utterly obsessed with Lego, spending all his spare time, building his favorite sets.

And having put together nearly everything in the Star Wars collection, he’s opted to switch it up this time around.

He laughed: “I have got one in mind. It’s the Batmobile. They just released the Adam West classic one. So, I’ve got my eyes on that. I’m hoping I’ve got a lot of other birthday presents, like Lego. So, I’ll see what I’ve got. But I’ll just buy it myself. I don’t really care.”

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