UFC lightweight star Paddy Pimblett is an absurd amount above his fight weight at the moment, and that fact is nothing out of the norm for one of the fastest-rising fighters in the sport.
“The Baddy” has taken the MMA world by storm over the last couple of years as his brash and bold personality has been put under the UFC spotlight. And love him or hate him, Pimblett has delivered in a major way as a member of the UFC roster. The Englishman has competed three times inside the fabled Octagon, has victories in each fight, and earned early finishes every time. With the last two coming by submission.
The fight game is a results-based business and Pimblett has delivered the goods. As a competitor currently on a five-fight win streak, it is understandable for the 27-year-old to indulge in the fruits of his labor. However, Pimblett has quickly built a reputation as an athlete who indulges a bit too much and often blows up in weight between fights.
Related: Paddy Pimblett next fight – Who’s next for ‘The Baddy’ after UFC London victory?
During a Wednesday appearance on the Steve O’s Wild Ride podcast (yes, the cast member of MTV series Jackass), Pimblett took to the scales for the cameras and weighed in at a stunning 206 pounds. “The Baddy” normally competes at 156 pounds — which includes a non-title bout grace pound. This means the super prospect weighs 50-pounds more than the weight he would be when he hits the scales the morning before a fight. Just like he just did only a month ago for his UFC London submission win over Jordan Leavitt.
Why Paddy Pimblett’s weight gain is not good for him or the UFC
Fighters putting on a bunch of weight is not a shocking development in the cage fighting game. For example, former UFC light heavyweight champion Quinton “Rampage” Jackson often gained a great deal of weight in between bouts. He was also a great fighter who never reached his potential because of the lack of focus he had outside the cage. Paddy Pimblett is heading in a similar direction.
Weight-cutting is a major part of MMA and is often a key facet of fight camp. For some fighters, dropping pounds for their designated weight class is just a matter of cutting water weight, and the majority of that is done the week before the bout. However, for the athletes who put on too much weight from overindulging in delicious delights, the portion of fight camp dedicated to dropping those pounds ends up being more time-consuming than it should be.
Fighters grow and become better competitors when they put more minutes into sharpening their technical skills in the gym. However, if excess time is used to cut excess pounds then that is valuable hours lost and often means a fighter’s skills become a bit more stagnant. Which only helps opponents. Pimblett is hurting his chances of becoming an even bigger star in the sport by gaining so much weight after fights and not actually getting as much time as he needs to develop his skills.
- Paddy Pimblett record: 19-3 (6 knockouts, 9 submissions)
“The Baddy” could be setting himself up for a shocking defeat in the near future, just like Jackson had in his career by gaining excess lbs while out of fight camp.