UFC 304 is fast approaching, which means the annual Paddy Pimblett hype (or hate) train is revving up and on the tracks once more. Once considered the darling prospect of the UFC, Pimblett has become one of the most divisive fighters on the roster through a series of lackluster performances and public relations mishaps.
Pimblett's early career is reminiscent of several successful UFC fighters: Ian Machado-Garry, Jack Shore, Jack Hermansson, and of course, Conor McGregor. All of those men, and Pimblett, turned a Cage Warriors title into a roster spot with the UFC. Pimblett specifically went 11-3 during his run with the UK-based promotion, defeating several UFC-caliber talents in his time wearing the yellow gloves. Once he finally did sign the contract for a shot at the big show, expectations were high, but the media, fans, and UFC brass stood firmly behind Pimblett as one of the best prospects on the roster.
Thanks to his profile as a high-level prospect (and potential cash cow), the UFC started Pimblett off slow. His first two opponents had a combined promotional record of 2-6, but even then, there were concerns surrounding Pimblett's performance. In his debut fight against Luigi Vendramini, Pimblett was cracked multiple times and nearly finished. He displayed excellent toughness to come back and finish the fight himself, but it was immediately clear that the fast track to the top would be a foolish way to promote the Scouser. That being said, he had earned himself two UFC victories in well under a year, with the second coming in front of a massive crowd at the O2 Arena in London. Not a bad start at all.
Another year and change would pass before Pimblett took the octagon again. It was the first long stretch of inactivity that would later become a hallmark of his career in the UFC. Whether it was his choice to wait or the UFC insisting that he stays out of action until a return to British soil is unclear. Whatever the case, Pimblett finally faced Jordan Leavitt back in the O2 Arena on July 23rd, 2022. The general perception of the bout was that Leavitt was the first opponent who could present a real challenge to Pimblett, a 2nd-degree jiu-jitsu black belt, on the ground. That was quickly proven incorrect by a Pimblett submission in the middle of the second round. With the hometown crowd whipped up into a frenzy by one of their own, the Liverpool-born fighter delivered a heartfelt speech encouraging men to look after their mental health and open up to one another. The combination of an excellent victory and a positive, genuine message helped turn Pimblett into one of the most beloved fighters on the entire roster.
The UFC had succeeded in its attempt to promote their next big thing, and a step up in competition was finally necessary. It would come in the form of Jared Gordon, a veteran of eleven UFC bouts and a consensus top-30 lightweight in the world. Pimblett, in an attempt to ride the wave of popularity from across the athletic world generated from his last win, accepted the offer to fight five months later in December of 2022 at UFC 282, the last pay-per-view of the year. The company had plenty of high-level options available for the co-main event slot. Pimblett and Gordon were given that privilege over a matchup between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Chris Daukaus, two ranked heavyweights, and a fight between Chris Curtis and Joaquin Buckley, middleweights at the edge of the rankings. That isn't out of the ordinary, but it is clear that the UFC expected him to deliver a performance worthy of stardom. The bookmakers down the street in Las Vegas expected the same, with Pimblett closing as a -270 favorite.
The stage couldn't have been set better for Pimblett to put on an absolute show. The first eight fights of the card ended in a finish, and the bout prior to Pimblett's awarded both fighters (Darren Till and Dricus Du Plessis) the Fight of the Night bonus. T-Mobile Center was rocking, and the most popular fighter on the card hadn't even walked out yet. However, on the biggest stage of his career, Pimblett failed to deliver. Gordon outstruck him and nearly dropped him on multiple occasions, landing left hooks seemingly at will. The American also secured three takedowns and over a round of control time, compared to a zero in both categories from his British opponent. Statistically, the fight was Gordon's, and most viewers agreed. The most important viewers, judges Doug Crosby, Ron McCarthy, and Chris Lee saw things differently, awarding a shocking unanimous decision to Pimblett.
After receiving a decision they shouldn't have, most fighters act graciously during their post-fight interview. Sean O'Malley, a fighter known for being outspoken, acknowledged that his fight against Petr Yan was razor-close and that it could have gone either way. Jan Blachowicz, after he was given a draw in the light heavyweight title fight directly after Pimblett's bout, admitted that he deserved to lose on the scorecards of that fight. Pimblett would have done well to follow suit, but instead, his interview was the polar opposite. He exclaimed multiple times that the fight wasn't close and that he had won the first two rounds easily. The cherry on top was the request for the Fight of the Night bonus, a request that was largely met with derision from the fans in the arena. Pimblett wasn't responsible for how the judges scored his fight. What he was responsible for was his response to that scoring. His lack of humility and grace shifted the public perception surrounding him from one of the UFC's most likable prospects to one that had risen too far, too fast for his own good.
Two things became obvious after the Gordon fight. First was the fact that despite five straight UFC wins, any of the top 20 lightweights in the UFC would eat Pimblett alive and kill his hype for good. Second was the fact that some image rehabilitation had to be done if Paddy was ever going to be as popular as he once was. With some clever matchmaking, the UFC saw an opportunity to at least partially remedy both problems in one move. Fan favorite and former interim lightweight champion Tony Ferguson, in the midst of a six-fight losing streak, needed an opponent. Ferguson presented the unique opportunity of a fight against a former champion who had reached the peaks of MMA, while still giving Pimblett an opponent he would be a sizable favorite against. The matchup was booked for the main card of UFC 296, just over a year after Pimblett's win over Gordon.
Unlike the Gordon fight, the Ferguson matchup went off without a hitch. Pimblett dominated the former interim champ from bell to bell, landing nearly double the strikes and nine minutes of control time. No one could accuse the judges of robbery when Bruce Buffer announced 30-27 cards across the board. The only knock on Pimblett's performance was his inability to score a finish, a knock that many fans pointed to as an indication of Pimblett's unpreparedness for better competition. Regardless, it seemed that he was back on the road taken by countless prospects, again thanks to some favorable matchmaking and promotion.
A six-fight winning streak in the UFC usually means a title shot is on the horizon, but Pimblett has proven himself to be a special case. The quality of his opponents, often hand-picked by the UFC to nearly ensure a walk in the park, ended up as both a blessing and a curse. One on hand, Pimblett was gifted a padded promotional record. On the other, fans and media alike scrutinized him to the extreme for the privilege he received as a fighter who was considered a potential inheritor of McGregor-like fame and fortune. In reality, the UFC asked far too much of Pimblett before he was ready, both as a personality and a fighter. The attention heaped on him brought him almost unheard-of fame for a young prospect but also engineered a damaging fall from grace, one that Pimblett is still recovering from as he finally readies himself for a chance to put a number next to his name at UFC 304.
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