Paddy Pimblett is still undefeated in the UFC but his victory at UFC 282 came with a controversial decision over Jared Gordon.
In a fight that saw Gordon blast Pimblett with numerous combinations, especially through the first two rounds, the judges ultimately scored the fight for “The Baddy.” A dejected Gordon walked away as soon as the decision was read while Pimblett discounted any notion that he was gifted a decision with the judges all handing him the fight with 29-28 scorecards.
“That wasn’t close,” Pimblett said. “I won the first two rounds and then coasted in the third. I knew I won the first two rounds easily. Jared’s one tough motherf*****. Hats off to Jared.”
Pimblett tried to set the pace early but Gordon met the challenge with a pair of nasty left hook that cracked the highly touted prospect from Liverpool. The tendency to leave his chin high left Pimblett open for that same punch to land consistently from Gordon throughout the opening round.
Pimblett eventually settled down as he began throwing a variety of kicks to the legs and then back up top to the head. The calf kicks from Pimblett were paying dividends but Gordon was quick to fire back with well-timed punches that were consistently doing damage.
Gordon started to get more aggressive, closing the distance and then unloading punches in succession once he had Pimblett in range. A battle for position against the cage led to another hard left-right combination from Gordon that landed clean on Pimblett’s chin.
With a back-and-forth battle through 10 minutes, Gordon opened the final frame with a takedown attempt while pressuring Pimblett against the cage. It was a grueling approach from Gordon as he continued pressing the action while Pimblett was largely stuck without much room to escape.
Pimblett did manage a late reversal that allowed him to attempt to take the back but Gordon defended well until the final horn sounded. Both fighters raised their hands in victory afterwards but only Pimblett will leave with a win on his resume.
Regardless of the contentious decision, Pimblett’s confidence certainly wasn’t rattled.
“What do you think Fight of the Night or what?” Pimblett shouted. “Who’s a f****** hype train? Someone say something!”
