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The next chapter of Paddy Pimblett's young career will be written on November 12 when the 21-year-old featherweight competes under the Cage Warriors banner for the ninth time at Cage Warriors: Unplugged.



The event will take place before UFC 205 and will broadcast live from the BT Sport studios in London, England, just eight short weeks after Pimblett's last fight on a memorable September night at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.



Back on the grind

The Liverpudlian is the talk of UK mixed martial arts right now, and many believed that after his last victory his call up to the UFC was inevitable. Instead, Pimblett along with his teammate Chris Fishgold signed new contracts with Cage Warriors, and they now find themselves right back in full camp having only had a few weeks off.



"Running and egg white omelettes--it's just training and dieting right now," Pimblett said. "I'm just waiting and counting down the days until November 12. I've done the same as I did for my last fight. I've been staying with my strength and condition coaches for the past two weeks, and I'll be here for the next two.



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"All these fights keep coming round dead fast. I balloon up and then I have to go stay at my coaches for a bit, because I keep getting told I've nothing on my plate and then I have to go fight in like a month before I thought. A little bit longer off would've been nice like, I wanted to enjoy myself a bit, but I was just straight back in the gym two weeks later. It was a bit of a ball ache, but it is what is you know?"



A UFC contract has been put in front of him

After Pimblett's blockbuster performance in his last fight, many touted the Liverpudlian to be signed up by the UFC. Pimblett said this was a few people getting a little ahead of themselves and that he was more than happy with his new improved deal with the UK-based Cage Warriors.



"It was quite annoying you know, people saying I've signed for the UFC, but that was them just chatting s**t," Pimblett said. "Then they are the ones saying 'Oh, he's not good enough. He's not signed with the UFC.' I'm just like right, yeah, whatever. Just keep chatting s**t and sitting behind your computers talking pony. It don't bother me.



"What they don't know is that I've had a UFC contract offered to me at one point. It wasn't the same time as my new Cage Warriors contract, but this new deal I have is a better one than I was offered by the UFC. I'm getting more out of it being where I am--more money and everything along those lines."



Always destined for the top

Having attracted attention from the local UK media and now the U.S. market, Pimblett's public profile is as big as it's ever been and shows no signs of fading anytime soon. Like many before have experienced, his newfound stardom has brought both fans and haters to the fore--not that he's bothered by the latter.



"It's just common practice for me this," Pimblett said. "I'm not arsed one bit--I knew this was coming. This all should've been happening a year ago when I was supposed to be fighting Teddy Violet, but I missed that fight and I would've beaten him then and everyone would've knew. Instead, I sat out for 10 months and just had to wait and bide my time to come back and show you all what I'm about.



"I came back, beat Grimshaw, then I beat Violet, then I beat Frachey and now I'm going to beat Julian Erosa. Then a whole load more will jump on the bandwagon just like I told you last time. People say 'Oh, he's s**t, he's s**t, he only looks about 12,' or 'He's not strong, he can't wrestle, he's only got jiu-jitsu.' That's sound--we'll see won't we?"



He will defeat Julian Erosa any way he feels like

His next opponent, Erosa, is currently on a run of two wins since being cut by the UFC back in May this year. On paper, he looks one of Pimblett's toughest tests to date, but the Cage Warrior's featherweight champion isn't worried about the challenge in the slightest.



"I don't see him as a test," Pimblett said. "None of these featherweights are a test--none of them. Erosa will be finished within in two rounds. Artem [Lobov] sparked him inside a round, but I'm a different fighter to Artem and styles make matchups.



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"All Artem has is a big overhand right, and I've got a full arsenal. If I want to beat Erosa on the feet--I'll knock him out. If I want to outpoint and wrestle him for five, fives just for s**ts and giggles--I will. If I want to take him down--I will and I'll submit him. How ever I feel like I want to finish this on the night, I'll finish it that way."



Get ready for something you've never seen before in April 2017

Having nearly blown the roof off the Echo Arena back in September, Pimblett is well aware that a studio audience in London may not quite create the atmosphere he had back in his hometown. Suffice to say, the Liverpudlian knows there is a job to be done and already has his sights set on how he can recreate and even surpass that in 2017.



"We can't top the Echo Arena this time, especially because it's an invitation audience," Pimblett said. "We will do what we can though, and I got people coming down with me so you will hear them on the telly as loud as ever--don't worry about that.



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"It's all about beating Julian Erosa and coming back to the Echo Arena in Liverpool and filling the full lot out in April. The full 11,000 people. After that, we will see what happens because that's next-level s**t. Youse aren't' going to be ready for it. It's going to be f***ing unbelievable. Youse talk about the UFC's in Ireland--you ain't seen f***ing nothing yet."





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