Bisping: Pimblett needs to 'humble himself a little bit'

From one polarizing figure to another, Michael Bisping has some advice for Paddy Pimblett.

Pimblett, a rising star in the UFC lightweight division, has faced criticism since his controversial win over Jared Gordon in December - mainly for appearing arrogant by saying the fight wasn't close and that he should be paid for interviews.

Bisping, a former UFC middleweight champion who was one of the biggest heels in the promotion, thinks Pimblett needs to tone down his confidence.

"I think what Paddy needs to do is just humble himself a little bit," Bisping, who now works as a UFC color commentator, said on his "Believe You Me" podcast. "Stop with this 'I'm the new cash cow' shit. When I asked him ... who would he want to fight next, (he was) saying, 'I don't need to say anyone's name, because I am the man, I'm the boy, I'm the cash cow.' And then you're yet to fight someone ranked.

"I feel that that, when you're dominating people, is all well and good. When you're scraping by a victory, it doesn't have the same effect, and it starts to rub people the wrong way."

While Pimblett is indeed popular for someone with four UFC fights, Bisping said the top lightweights - like champion Islam Makhachev, Charles Oliveira, and Dustin Poirier - don't need Pimblett "to give them a rub."

"These are household names in mixed martial arts," Bisping said. "They don't need Paddy to say their name to get a few Instagram followers.

"The whole pay-me-for-interviews thing, I think that left a bad taste in people's mouths. And again, I'm not hating. I'm just being honest in what I saw."

However, Bisping said one good victory will be enough for Pimblett to get back into the good graces of the MMA world.

"The sport forgives fast and quickly," Bisping said. "All he's got to do is go out there and beat someone, and that's it - it's all forgotten about. Go out there, smoke someone, be cool and be funny, and all the rest of it - everyone forgets. As I always say, this sport is about, 'What have you done for me lately?'"