UFC 282 game: Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon
Keep up-to-date with the main event that is co-maintained by UFC 282 between Paddy Pimblett and Jared Gordon.
The co-main fight in UFC 282 will feature a lightweight match against Paddy Pimblett (19-3 MMA, 3-1 UFC) along with Jared Gordon (19-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC).
UFC 282: Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev broadcast live from The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, this Saturday, December 10th. The main card begins with a fight start time at 9:00 p.m. ET/7:00 a.m. PST, and the ESPN2/ESPN+ preliminary rounds are commencing at 8:15 p.m. ET, 5:00 p.m. ET and the prelims that begin early beginning in the early hours at 6:15 p.m. ET or 3:30 p.m. in PT.
What do they say about how these two compare?
Pimblett Age: 27 • 5’10” | 73″ reach
Gordon Age: 34. 5’9″ | 68″ reach
What did these two guys do recently?
Pimblett: W – Jordan Leavitt (SUB) | W – Luigi Vendramini (KO) | W – Kazula Vargas (SUB)
Gordon: W – Leonardo Santos (DEC) | W – Joe Solecki (SD) | L – Grant Dawson (SUB)
How did these two guys get here?
The moment Paddy Pimblett joined the UFC in the early 2000s, he was welcomed with a lot of excitement and has lived up to that hype with each of his fights to date.
“Baddy” defeated three of his opponents — Luigi Vendramini, Kazula Vargas, and Jordan Leavitt — in “Performance of The Night” granted appearances. These wins have yet to convince many on Pimblett. Pimblett hopes to change minds by beating Jared Gordon at UFC 282 on Saturday.
There’s a reason Gordon is being described as an improvement in the fight for Pimblett. “Flash” is tough, experienced, skilled, and adept in the ring, where his opponent is often shining. He’s got the skills to be a threat to Pimblett, and it will be fascinating to watch the fight play out. Gordon is a 4-1 winner in his previous five appearances. His one loss came against Grant Dawson at UFC Vegas 53 in April.
Why should you be concerned?
Will this be the breakthrough performance Pimblett would like? Or can Gordon prove that there are different levels in this sport?
Paddy Pimblett might be among the most promising rising stars on the UFC team. However, the biggest issue he has faced so far has been the amount of weight he puts on during fights.
When competing as a lightweight, the 27-year-old boxer from England has admitted to problems with the weight he gains after competing, including his recent guest appearance on Steve-O’s radio show in which he stepped on the scales to 206.6 pounds, which is 50 more than the maximum weight for his weight class.
Pimblett has been quoted as saying he might be suffering from an eating disorder because of how extreme weight-cutting in MMA, but up to this point, he’s met the weight limit for lightweights in each match in the UFC.
UFC Welterweight Matt Brown believes that weight issues of Pimblett could end up being the biggest obstacle to progressing to the next level in his fight career, particularly in the face of more challenging and stricter opponents inside the Octagon.
“The most important factor, the one that we’ve not discussed, is Paddy’s weight issue even when he’s out of training,” Brown said on The Fighter vs. The Writer. “He’s eating cheeseburgers and pizza and cheeseburgers and pizza,” she said. We’ve seen the photos. He is huge, and this shows an absence of discipline. It shows me that most of his training camps are fat camps.
“You cannot live like that, particularly at the UFC. It’s just not possible. Some killers train, keep on the right weight and be ready. You’re fighting ****** lions in this fight, and I believe this is a very wrong move by Paddy.”
Since Pimblett is gaining an enormous weight between fights, he’s likely taking a significant portion of his camp working out to shed the pounds to return to his lightweight limit. Although he may appear well-groomed on his scales, Brown said that doesn’t mean that Pimblett probably isn’t working at the same rate as the top-ranked lightweights, meaning the possibility is that he will reach his peak competitively sooner than later.
Brown stated, “He may make losing weight simple.” “It could be a problem to make weight. It’s possible that he didn’t need to be in a fat camp. However, you can look at the flaws and the associated discipline issues. He can’t be in the gym working out all day long.
“He’s not striving for perfection every single day. He’s not there to test his capabilities or advance. That’s the main aspect, and there’s no way to evolve. You’re not growing every day. Others are. And every time they’re one percent better, you’re still one day when you’re falling behind.”
With regards to his performance, Pimblett has gone 3-0 thus far in his UFC career, with all three fights concluding with a submission or knockout. This Saturday, he’ll try to earn the fourth win when he takes on Jared Gordon in the co-main fight in UFC 282.
In removing the weight issue out of the issue, Brown still hasn’t seen enough from Pimblett at this point in his career to be convinced that he’s a potential contender for the division of lightweight. However, he hopes to discover new ways to win when he faces Gordon.
“I haven’t been particularly impressed with his abilities within the cage, in all honesty,” Brown said. “Again, I am a massive fan of the guy, and I’m certainly not trying to discredit him. However, I have yet to be impressed by the guy’s work. There are very few avenues to win. There is only one path to victory. I’m sure Jared realizes that, and I’m sure that he’ll be prepared and defeat the opposition.
“Jared Gordon’s the right match for Gordon. He’s at a point reaching his professional career, and he’s likely to give him a fair test. If he’s off on this point, Jared will defeat him. The obvious way to win is to either take him down and try to find an escape or search for submission. I’m not sure he can achieve that feat against Jared Gordon, so this is the perfect test for the fighter.
Because Pimblett has been so charming and energetic since his arrival on the UFC roster and the growing support of his fans from in the UK, there have been comparisons with Irish star Conor McGregor after when he joined the UFC promotion. He even stated that a fight against McGregor would be “the largest pay-per-view ever seen by the UFC has ever witnessed.”
The prediction could be realized if Pimblett’s superstar power continues to increase and grow. However, Brown will be quick to sabotage the rivalries of the fighters.
“He’s different from Conor,” Brown said. “I cannot believe anyone could think that. I’ve never seen him engage in trash talk about anything at all. What we liked the most about Conor Was his contentment and crazy trash-talking.
“Paddy’s just a great talker in general. He’s just a fun person who is relatable and enjoyable to watch. Conor was a different kind of person and remains. I am a huge fan of Conor as a person.”
