UFC star Paddy Pimblett admits to having a 'genuine' eating disorder

UFC star Paddy 'The Baddy' Pimblett has admitted to having a "genuine" eating disorder because of his career in MMA.

Pimblett, 27, is quickly becoming one of the biggest stars in the sport and now has a 3-0 record in the UFC after beating Jordan Leavitt in his most recent fight in July.

The Liverpudlian fighter is known for ballooning in weight between fights before losing it all in brutal training camps.

He was a recent guest on Jackass star Steve-O's podcast Wild Ride and weighed in at 206.6lbs – more than 50lbs over the lightweight limit in the UFC.

Pimblett admits he has an unusual relationship with food, partly as a result of cutting weight ahead of his fights.

"I've had party days, you know what I mean, I've been bad then. I got into gambling a little and I was bad with that. I think now it's moved on to food," Pimblett told Steve-O's Wild Ride, as reported by MMA Mania.

"I genuinely think I'm a food addict. I think I've got a bit of an eating disorder because of MMA.

"The weight cuts, dieting, I genuinely think I have a bit of an eating disorder.

"People when they go eat with me they are visibly shocked at how much I can eat."

Back in March, Pimblett admitted he went on an 10,700-calorie binge on a cheat day following his victory over Kazula Vargas in London.

"I eat so many calories it's unbelievable. On Monday I actually gauged what I ate," said Pimblett.

"I had 10,700 calories. And that's without me doing a food challenge. That's just be being a fat b******."

Pimblett still has plenty of time to shed his excess weight ahead of his next fight, with the British fighter planning to return to the octagon in December.

He could feature at UFC 282, the same event at which Jon Jones is expected to make his long-awaited comeback.

"No fight on the schedule but I got my eye on the December 10 card," Pimblett added.

"It's got me excited to be honest, I haven't been excited in a long time.

"If you share the Octagon the same night as Jon Jones you're gonna be excited."

Featured Image Credit: Alamy

Topics: UFC, MMA, Paddy Pimblett

Rory O'Callaghan

Rory O'Callaghan is Editorial Lead at SPORTbible. He has previously worked for Sky Sports News, MailOnline and Reach covering football, cricket, boxing and MMA. Tested daily as a Liverpool fan in a Manchester office.

@rory_ocallaghan