Paddy Pimblett remained unbeaten in the UFC as he won a controversial decision against Jared Gordon in his pay-per-view debut.
'The Baddy' was facing promotional veteran Gordon in the co-main event of UFC 282 in Las Vegas, which marked the first time Pimblett had fought in the US since making his UFC debut last September. The charismatic Scouser had previously choked out both Kazula Vargas and Jordan Leavitt earlier this year, as he kept up his 100 per cent finish rate in the UFC by beating Gordon.
Pimblett started the fight by throwing several kicks to the body of Gordon, who had success by countering ‘The Baddy’ with some hard hooks early on. The Scouser caught a kick from Gordon and capitalised by landing a good right hand that sent the American on the retreat. Gordon finished the round on top after Pimblett landed a takedown but was reversed and found himself on his back.
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Gordon was finding a home for the left hook in the second stanza and the Vegas crowd cheered as Pimblett appeared to sink in a modified choke on the ground, but ‘Flash’ did well to defend the variation. The pair were exchanging heavy shots on the feet and the action was briefly halted as Pimblett accidentally poked his opponent in the eye.
It was neck and neck going into the third round and Gordon instantly shot for a takedown with Pimblett trying his best to break his rival’s grip. Gordon was racking up control time as Pimblett’s back was pressed up against the fence, but the Scouser was landing some good elbows to Gordon’s head.
The American continued to grind Pimblett out until the final bell and after three rounds of action, the judges controversially saw it 29-28 in favour of Pimblett. 'The Baddy' said of his win: "Who's the f****ng hype train now?" Pimblett also detailed his plans to carry out charitable work with Gordon after launching his own foundation this week.
Despite already notching up four UFC wins, Pimblett wants to take a steady approach to his UFC career and has admitted that he won't be a champion for several years. The Liverpudlian is yet to face a ranked opponent in the promotion, with two of his previous opponents in Vargas and Lugii Vendramini being cut after being defeated by him.
No.11 ranked lightweight Dan Hooker thinks the UFC are "taking care" of Pimblett by selecting his opponents and has predicted that he would make him look silly if they fought. "I don't want to burst the bubble and that's just being honest. Hand on my heart I think I'd do whatever I'd want to that kid. “He’s on a good trajectory, leave him alone. Give him the fights that you’re gonna give him, [I’m] not the fight. I like the kid. Let’s leave him," Hooker told The Mac Life.
