As usual, Paddy Pimblett is very swagger before his lightweight bout against the Italian Davide “Ispanico” Martinez in the co-main event of Cage Warriors 122, which takes place on Saturday, March 20.
Sorry to all my Italian fans but I’m going to badly hurt Davide 2moro night! He’s gettin sent home with a broken face after a 1 sided beatdown in the 1st round! Promise yous now he doesn’t get out the 1st theres fucking levels to this shit & it’s as simple as that! #paddythebaddy pic.twitter.com/VPyWL6Vkad
— Paddy Pimblett (@PaddyTheBaddy) March 19, 2021
“The Baddy” tweeted these words after the weigh-in ceremony in London. Is he really self-confident, or is this just part of the game plan?
This bout was originally scheduled to take place one year ago, to the day, but it was cancelled due to COVID-19 restrictions in Italy. The Liverpool-based former Cage Warriors champion commented with some very offensive words: “Italy is not England. Come on guys, nine Italians live in a house, with at least three of them over 60 years old. They live in a different way than us, let’s be honest.”
After Pimblett’s comments, Martinez told the mainstream all-sports news site www.gazzetta.it, “I wrote him on social media saying that he shouldn’t allow himself to speak in that way. Joking and trash-talking between fighters may be OK, but last April many people were dying in my country, and they deserved respect.”
Martinez has been a professional fighter since 2013. He holds a record of 8-2, with three knockouts and a current winning streak of six fights. He has also competed in Muay Thai and wrestling, the latter of which might be the key to this upcoming fight.
Pimblett is known as a grappler. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu who has scored eight submission wins in his career. Will he be able to bring the Italian to the ground?
Cage Warriors 122 also features another Italian fighter, the Rome’s Michele Martignoni. “The Italian Thunder” is 6-0 as a pro with five first-round knockouts. The bantamweight’s lone decision came in his last fight, a short-notice bout against the Brazilian Weslley Maia at Cage Warriors 117 in December. With his win over Maia, the 25-years-old former silver medalist at the IMMAF European Championship in 2016 gained a multi-fight deal with the promotion. He faces Pimblett’s teammate, Nathan Fletcher. Fletcher is 4-0, with all his wins ending in a finish under the Cage Warriors banner.