Paddy the Baddy and Meatball Molly light up London on thrilling UFC night

“Are you not entertained?” Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett shouted deep inside a roaring Saturday night scouse house party which dominated the UFC’s first promotion in Europe in three years. A few minutes earlier he had secured a victory, when forcing Rodrigo Vargas to submit, which fulfilled his prediction of a first-round stoppage. His great friend, and “big sister” from Liverpool, “Meatball” Molly McCann, had already produced an even more remarkable finish already with a stunning third-round knockout which lit up the 02 Arena in London on a transformative night for the garrulous scouse duo and British MMA.

There were seven British winners on the night, including another impressive first-round stoppage for the heavyweight Tom Aspinall, and the UFC president, Dana White, described it afterwards as the most enjoyable promotion in the history of his organisation. White was so caught up in the fevered atmosphere that he made the unprecedented decision to award a $50,000 bonus to the winner of every one of the nine bouts which ended in a stoppage – rather than rewarding just one fighter on the night.

There was no doubt, however, that this was the Paddy and Molly Show as the two highly distinctive fighters from Liverpool lived up to their pre-fight hype. In only his second UFC contest, Pimblett received an ecstatic reception as he strutted to the octagon. His floppy blond mop-top, goofy grin and pale lightweight frame, devoid of a single tattoo, means that Pimblett looks so unlike a traditional UFC fighter. Vargas, his imposing opponent from Mexico, glowered menacingly but the 27-year-old from a council estate in Huyton kept grinning.

The switch in Pimblett’s cheerful mood came only a minute before the cage door shut when he was