By Jim Edwards

In just 10 short days, Patrick Pimblett will step inside the cage once again at Cage Warriors 77, where he will face the Frenchman, Teddy Violet. The two were first supposed to meet in October last year at Full Contact Contender 14, but after the Pimblett pulled out injured, the fight has now been rearranged under the Cage Warriors banner.

On paper, the two have similar records: Pimblett 10-1 as a professional, and Violet 10-2. But Pimblett is confident that, on July 8, he will make Violet look like he never belonged in the cage with him.

"I don't think he's got much to offer me," Pimblett said. "His striking is OK, and he's all right on the ground, but wherever this fight goes, I'm going to be better than him. I've got the better striking, better wrestling and I've definitely got better Jiu Jitsu than him. I've just got the better all-around MMA game.

"The only way I could possibly lose this fight is if I go in there with my hands down and get caught with a big bomb but I can't even see him knocking me out if that did somehow happen to be honest. It definitely ain't getting a decision either but, let's be honest here it ain't going that far. He's going to be finished in a round or two. He quit against Tom Duquesnoy and he's going to quite against me even faster."

Walking the walk

Pimblett has always been outspoken about his talent, and he's been walking the walk inside the cage with six straight wins. Many people on the UK circuit have tipped for a UFC call soon, and the Liverpudlian himself thinks the call is coming sooner rather than later.

"I don't think anyone is on my level; no one has even seen my level yet," Pimblett said. "I'm coasting in all of these fights—it's all light work to me. I'm going to prove that yet again in 10 days when I finish Teddy Violet. I know I'm going to finish Teddy Violet 100%. 

"My next step is going to be the UFC. They've spoken to my manager—not to me, but my manager. They know who I am. "

With so many younger-generation UK stars looking to train outside of the UK, one might expect Pimblett to want the same thing. But he believes he is already in the right place to learn his craft.

"I don't need to go abroad; I've got everything right here [Next Gen MMA, Liverpool]: best training partners, best coach," Pimblett said. "We are the best training camp in the UK; I don't care what anyone says. All homegrown talent—every single person in our gym—so I'm not going to go anywhere. Take a look at Conor McGregor—he proved that if you have the talent, you don't have to go anywhere."

Though his short-term focus lies on finishing violet and notching his 11th career victory, Pimblett is aiming for the stars when it comes to his long-term ambitions.

"I'm going to be the best MMA fighter ever," Pimblett said without hesitation. "I'm going to be a world champion and I'm going to keep my belt for a very long time. My plan is to have a belt in two weight divisions. and it always has been since I started fighting amateur, that's always been my goal in this sport.

"I'm quite big now for 145lbs, and if I continue to grow for the next few years I will have to grow to 155lbs the plan is to the win the 145lbs and then move up then get the 155lbs, it would be great stuff, it would be lovely that. I plan on making history and being the first ever guy to do it and then become the pound-for-pound best in the world."

Eyes on Cage Warrior 77

While dreaming of one day being a world champion, Pimblett is well aware he still has work to do on the domestic level. His professional record is currently blemished by a single loss to fellow Englishman Cameron Else back at Cage Warriors 60, but it doesn't bother him—he believes it's helped his career.

"I think that fight was kinda fate, I wasn't training properly and I wasn't wholeheartedly in the sport," Pimblett admitted. "I wasn't 100% I thought I could just not train and beat anyone so I needed that loss to be honest. I never lost an amateur fight, so I would like to go back and do it again in a way because I know 999 out of 1000 times I win that fight.

"Fair play to Cameron though he beat me on that night and that is exactly what I needed. Let's be honest, though, he and I know exactly what would happen if we ever fought again." 

Over the last few days, Pimblett has been at odds on social media with one of SBG and John Kavanagh's biggest up and comers, Dylan Tuke.

Pimblett explained how the social media altercation came about but was quick to distance himself from any talk about a fight happening in the near future saying they didn't belong in the same conversation. 

"To be honest, I don't even want to waste my time with him, he's only 2-0 so I don't have to concern myself with him," Pimblett said. "Someone commented on one his pictures that I should fight him and then he wrote something about me so I just said something back to him. He then tried to create a little back and forth and then now for the past few days he ain't said anything. He's keeping quiet because he knows he should be keeping quiet. 

"He knows what's going to happen when he comes to Liverpool and my teammate Adam Ventre gives him a resounding beatdown [Tuke fights Ventre on Shinobi MMA 8 on July 30th in Liverpool]. He doesn't belong in the same breath as me, not even in the same sentence as me. I'm closer to belonging in a sentence with his big teammate than he is in a sentence with me."

But now, it appears Pimblett has his eyes on one man: Teddy Violet. He had one last message for Violet before next Friday night:

"He knows what's coming, he knows he's going 10-3," Pimblett said. "He's not going to be able to cope with the pressure I create, and when we get inside that cage he knows he's coming from France for a loss. It's as simple as that."