Since making his debut at the Ultimate Fighting Championship in Las Vegas three years ago, Paddy Pimblett has taken the world of mixed martial arts by storm. 

The outspoken Scouser, known by adoring fans as Paddy ‘The Baddy’, has been crowned the lightweight champion for two years in succession and will defend his title in Manchester later this month.

However, it is outside the octagon where Paddy has arguably made an even bigger impression.

From launching foul-mouthed tirades at former Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to celebrating when England lost the Euros final – he is certainly no stranger to controversy.

But in particular he has become notorious for his eating habits,ballooning after fights as he gorges on his favourite junk food to such an extent he’s been nicknamed the ‘wheelie bin’.

Now his extraordinary eating habits have come to light in a new BBC documentary – Paddy and Molly: No Mersey, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the lives of Paddy and his best friend, and fellow Scouse MMA fighter, Molly ‘Meatball’ McCann. 

Since making his debut at the Ultimate Fighting Championship in 2021, where he burst onto the scene with a knockout of Luigi Pemndrami, Paddy Pimblett has taken the world of mixed martial arts by storm

In the wake of his submission win over Rodrigo Vargas back in March 2022, Paddy consumed a whopping 11,000 calories

A clip from BBC show Paddy and Molly: No Mersey, shows him devouring an enormous burger, which was described as ‘the heaviest butty in Liverpool’ and fittingly named after Paddy himself

During the series fans follow the friends around their beloved Liverpool and get an insight into why their hometown is so close to their hearts.

The reality series also reveals their family lives and the relentless sacrifice of their training regime in the run up to fights.

In one episode, Paddy, who once consumed 11,000 calories in a single day after a big win in March 2022, lists his favourite foods to tuck into as a post-fight treat and says he cannot resist  ‘cookies, slushies, milkshakes and burgers’.  

Fans are then treated to close-up footage of Paddy gorging on an enormous burger, described as ‘the heaviest butty in Liverpool’, and fittingly named after Paddy himself. 

A stunned Molly says she has seen ‘nothing quite like him’, comparing her ravenous friend to a ‘wheelie bin’.

However, despite his endless appetite there is one food that he cannot stand: a chip shop pea fritter. 

In another snippet from the show, Molly can be seen battering fish in a local Liverpool chippy – having previous worked in one to serve hungry customers before finding success in MMA. 

Having heard that Molly used to make them herself, Paddy proceeds to gag in horror at the thought of even having to try one. 

While he admitted to gorging excessively on food from time, that doesn’t seem to bother Paddy. 

As he tucks into the burger, he seems to be taken to another dimension, describing the enormous patty as being akin to ‘an orgasm on bread’

Having heard that friend and fellow Scouse mixed martial artist Molly McCann used to make pea fritters when working in a local chip shop, Paddy proceeds to gag in horror at the thought of even having to try one

Indeed, as he points out, Paddy is always able to shed the extra pounds when required before his next big fight.

However, he warned viewers that this is the most difficult aspect of a gruelling profession, stating: ‘The hardest part is weight-cutting. You go nil-by-mouth for 24 hours. No food, no drink’. 

The one foodstuff he uses to cope with fasting when cutting down his weight? Chewing gum. 

Why? ‘Because it’s the only thing that makes your mouth not taste like a***’, as he eloquently puts it. 

The fly-on-the-wall documentary also provides a fascinating insight into how Paddy manages to lose weight in such rapid time before a fight. 

Needing to lose three kilograms in just over 48 hours to be able to compete, Paddy has a tried and tested ritual for doing so. 

He dips into a hot bath for 20 minutes before wrapping himself in a mountain of towels and a sauna blanket for a further 20 minutes before resting on the floor for – yet again – another 20 minutes. 

The fly-on-the-wall documentary also provides a fascinating insight into how Paddy manages to lose weight in such rapid time before a fight as he previously needed to lose three kilograms in just over 48 hours to be able to compete

He dips into a hot bath for 20 minutes before wrapping himself in a mountain of towels and a sauna blanket for a further 20 minutes before resting on the floor for – yet again – another 20 minutes

While he did not expand on how many times he repeated the process, he did say that all he ate during his slimming period before a fight was chewing gum, popping in a new piece every five minutes

While he did not expand on how many times he repeated the process, he did say that all he ate during his slimming period before a fight was chewing gum, popping in a new piece every five minutes. 

Paddy added that losing weight was not only vital for optimum performance but for earnings too, noting that ‘40% of [prize money for a fight] can go to an opponent’ if a fighter does not meet their target weight. 

Although he has endeared himself to the masses with his floppy blond mop of hair and love of food, Paddy landed himself in hot water with England football fans after their loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 last weekend. 

After Spanish substitute Mikel Oyarzabal scored the winner in the 86th minute to extend England’s painful 58-year wait for a major trophy, Paddy shared footage to Instagram of his wild celebrations at full-time.

‘Look at all your faces you f***ing woollybacks,’ he screamed, rubbing it into the surrounding Three Lions fans. ‘F***ing get in! You gang of f***ing wools. You f***ing mings.’

A woollyback, or wool, is a derogatory Scouse insult predominantly used to describe someone who lives out of town or is from Liverpool’s surrounding area, in places such as St. Helens, Southport or the Wirral.

Pimblett, who at one point turns the camera to show his maniacal face, captioned the video: ‘Paddy the Baddy celebrating Spain winning the Euros’.

UFC star Paddy Pimblett (left) wildly celebrated England’s heartbreaking 2-1 defeat by Spain

Pimblett later explained why he celebrated in such a way, claiming it was because of a bet

The 29-year-old fighter later contextualised his celebrations, claiming that he had a bet on England to lose and won £3,000 thanks to Spain’s late victory.

‘So lots of people are making a big deal about this video so I’m putting it up myself for you’s all to see. I had a bet with a few of my mates in the pub and if England would have won, I would’ve had to pay out £3,000,’ he explained.

‘Also, everyone jumped on me and celebrated on me 10 mins earlier when England scored. How can yous expect me not to return the favour a few mins later.

‘That’s what it feels like winning 3k in the last minute of the match, anyone that says they wouldn’t celebrate winning a bet like that, yous are absolutely crazy.’ 

A polarising figure due to his gregarious personality, Paddy The Baddy is unlikely to be receiving any kind words from former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak 

Paddy slammed Sunak for his management of the Budget while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, a role he held between February 2020 and July 2022. 

When UK inflation rates reached 9.4 per cent in July that year, Paddy responded by dismissing the increase in living costs as ‘disgusting’. 

‘It’s absolutely disgusting and then you’ve got this [Rishi] Sunak saying that he wants to sort the country out,’ Pimblett said at the time, per The Mirror. 

‘You were the one in charge of the budget you divvy. More and more people are eating from food banks now and it’s becoming heat or eat for a lot of families. 

‘It’s absolutely despicable that’s happening. Sunak is a multi-millionaire, his bird’s a billionaire and he’s talking about sorting the economy out? Eat s*** lad’. 

Paddy slammed Rishi Sunak for his management of the Budget while serving as Chancellor of the Exchequer, a role he held between February 2020 and July 2022