The Paddy Pimblett next fight news should be coming soon, but as his legion of fans waits for his next date inside the Octagon, we offer up three opponent options for “The Baddy.” Plus, we take a look back at his controversial win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December.
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Who will Paddy Pimblett next fight be against?
While many left UFC 282 feeling Pimblett should have suffered his first loss inside the Octagon, the English star was given the nod by the judges and stayed unbeaten in the UFC. With his momentum intact, there are many interesting fight options in his future and that is why bouts against Jim Miller, Brad Riddell, or Mark. O. Madsen makes the most sense next.
- A-10: A matchup with an established name that isn’t many levels above would make sense next. That is why Miller is a worthwhile option because the 39-year-old is a legitimate challenge, but is a winnable fight against a well-known foe outside the rankings.
- Quake: While the native of New Zealand is currently on a three-fight losing skid, those setbacks came against ranked talent at lightweight. Meaning this would still be a very dangerous matchup for Pimblett but also a winnable matchup that could boost his standing in the division.
- The Olympian: A matchup with silver-medal-winning Greco-Roman wrestler Mak O. Madsen could be an interesting next test. Grappling is Pimblett’s bread-and-butter and he will have trouble having success on that mat against the 38-year-old.
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Paddy Pimblett vs Jared Gordon recap
What makes Jared Gordon a difficult opponent is he isn’t flashy or has a specific bread-and-butter technique he employs. Instead, he makes a fight dirty and pushes opponents to prove they are more skilled and athletic. Paddy Pimblett was neither more skilled nor athletic in a razor-thin win at UFC 282.
What happened: Gordon used a good left hook to score often in the bout and was able to nullify the Englishman’s strong grappling. With his go-to attack thwarted, the fight devolved into a points-scoring brawl that many observers felt the American did enough in to win. Following the bout, UFC President Dana White claimed a lack of third-round aggressiveness likely cost Gordon a fight he should have won.
The fallout: While Pimblett likes to stand and trade, the glaring weaknesses in his striking were put on full display. Hopefully, the close call is a lesson for him to either stop blowing up in weight between fights and get better or change camps. Because as he goes higher up in competition the margin for error becomes almost nonexistent.
The roadmap: While his detractors will say he is all hype, a win is a win, and “The Baddy” is still 4-0 in the promotion. Don’t expect the UFC push to slow or stop anytime soon and Pimblett will be in another featured pay-per-view bout sometime in the second quarter of 2023.
What makes Paddy Pimblett so popular?
A Legitimate Star on the Rise: The hype surrounding Pimblett isn’t smoke and mirrors. He is a serious MMA talent and stamped his place as the most popular competitor to ever compete in the UK’s best cage fighting organization, Cage Warriors.
- Paddy Pimblett record: 20-3 (6 knockouts, 8 submissions)
- Paddy Pimblett height: 5-foot-10
- Pimblett had a long tenure in Cage Warriors. Competing for the promotion on 14 occasions and earning an 11-3 record.
- He gained a reputation as Cage Warriors’ most marketable star after headlining three events for the promotion.
- Pimblett won the organization’s featherweight title in 2016, and almost matched Cage Warriors alum McGregor when he came up short in a 2018 bid to be a two-division champion.
The Baddy Boy: Part of Pimblett’s fanfare is the unabashed confidence he has in himself. It’s a reason why many observers of the sport have compared him to other brash UK MMA greats, and former UFC champions Conor McGregor and Michael Bisping.
- Pimblett is a fascinating talent because his Beatles-style mop-top haircut makes him look like a well-mannered individual. But then he’ll unleash a foul-mouthed torrent of trash talk that appeals to fans of bold combat athletes like Nate Diaz and Jake Paul.
- The money-making potential for “The Baddy” brand is so undeniable that popular sports site Barstool Sports gave him a “seven-figure deal” in 2021 to be a brand ambassador and content creator. An unheard-of feat for a fighter with only one UFC fight under their belt.
- Pimblett has an established history of gaining a serious amount of weight in-between fights as he dives into his love of sugar-filled or fatty foods when he is not in fight camp. However, he has yet to have any issues when it comes to time to weigh in before his UFC bouts.
- Following his win over Jordan Leavitt, the Englishman touched many fans with the revelation of a friend’s death by suicide before the fight. He then called for men to be more willing to express their emotions during tough times because it could have saved his friend’s life.
- Pimblett’s enemies list extended into the world of professional wrestling when he and AEW World Champion MJF traded barbs and fight threats on Twitter in November.
Paddy Pimblett’s net worth
The measure of a fighter’s success is in the cash they stack up from a career of professional fisticuffs. Over his short career, Pimblett has amassed an estimated net worth of between $1 and $5 million.