Paddy Pimblett has spoken out and said that he feels fans should be more respectful of Conor McGregor following his iconic UFC achievements.

Although the pair are lightweight rivals, they have never really had a bad word to say about each other when asked about upcoming battles or opinions on the other.

The former Cage Warrior featherweight champion said that fans and other fighters are not appreciative of what the Irishman had done to enable the sport to emerge in the mainstream.

McGregor was a two-weight world champion and became the first in history to hold belts simultaneously in the lightweight and featherweight division.

The Irishman has attracted well over 10 million pay-per-view buys for his main event fights with the likes of Khabib Nurmagomedov, Jose Aldo, Nate Diaz, and Eddie Alvarez, and Pimblett said that he wouldn’t have been able to achieve his own notoriety had it not been for McGregor.

Pimblett sat down to speak with legendary footballer Gary Neville on his Sky Sports show ‘The Overlap’, and the Liverpudlian explained why he found it bothersome when his fellow lightweight boxer was disrespected by fans.

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 19: Paddy Pimblett celebrates with Molly Mccann after defeating Kazula Vargas during UFC Fight Night: Volkov v Aspinall at the The O2 Arena on March 19, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

He said:

“I reckon he’s going to come back at the end of the year. I think he gets a lot of disrespect, and it does my head in. Without him, a lot of MMA wouldn’t be on what they are.

"Here’s an example, if it wasn’t for Conor McGregor, you wouldn’t be sat here with us now doing this because he’s the one who made this sport global. Conor took it to a new level and that’s why I think no one gives him the credit he deserves.”

Molly McCann appeared alongside the Brit to promote their fights at UFC London, and she noted that almost all of the top selling UFC events involved McGregor.

LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 12: Conor McGregor leaves the Octagon after his first-round knockout victory over Jose Aldo in their featherweight title fight during UFC 194 on December 12, 2015 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

Pimblett also told Neville that he’s hoping to surpass McGregor’s massive multi-million base purses. He said: “The only person who is going to beat that is your boy. £5 million will be chumps change in a few years lad. I’m going to be wiping my a** with £50 notes”

Currently, McGregor is trying to make a comeback after breaking his leg in a trilogy fight with Dustin Poirier last summer. He is expected back in action at the start of next year after recently returning to MMA training.

The Scouse duo are hoping to build on their recent momentum in their upcoming bouts with Pimblett facing Jordan Leavitt and McCann taking on Hannah Goldy at The O2 Arena.