Paddy Pimblett is back in action at UFC 282 on December 10 as he looks for his third win of the calendar year when he faces Jared Gordon.
Pimblett, 27, has won his first three fights since being signed to the UFC last September and faces another step-up in competition in promotional veteran Gordon. 'The Baddy' knocked out Luigi Vendramini in his promotional debut and went on to submit Kazula Vargas and Jordan Leavitt in London, earning $50,000 performance bonuses for all of his wins.
Gordon, 34, has over 10 UFC fights under his belt but has failed to reach the upper echelon of the lightweight division. A former drug addict who was facing life in prison but turned his life around, Gordon was signed to the UFC in 2017 and has won four of his last five fights. 'Flash' was last in action on the undercard of Leon Edwards' title win at UFC 278 in August, winning a decision against Leonardo Santos.
Who wins at UFC 282 - Paddy Pimblett or Jared Gordon? Let us know your prediction in the comments section below
Gordon beat Pimblett's teammate Chris Fishgold in 2020 as the Liverpudlian looks to avenge the loss in his pay-per-view debut. Pimblett was linked to a fight against Gordon at UFC London in March, but he went on to fight Vargas whilst Gordon was submitted by Grant Dawson in April.
Pimblett hinted that his next fight would be against an unranked lightweight when he recently appeared Mike Tyson's Hotboxin' podcast. "I won't be [fighting a ranked opponent] just yet for a while," he said. "I'm not delusional, I'm not getting ahead of myself, I'm taking each fight as it comes and I'm fighting at lightweight.
"I know my next opponent isn't going to be ranked because the division is that stacked. I know I'm going to have to win another three or four fights to get a ranked opponent so I'm not worrying, I'm just getting on with it."
'The Baddy' has made headlines for the huge amount of weight he cuts for his fights, often ballooning up to over 200lb outside of training camp. Pimblett has never missed the lightweight limit in his career but did admit his post-fight binges have left him with an eating disorder.
"I got into gambling a little and I was bad with that," he told Steve-O on the Wild Ride podcast. "I think now it’s moved on to food. I genuinely think I’m a food addict. I think I’ve got a bit of an eating disorder because of MMA. The weight cuts, dieting, I genuinely think I have a bit of an eating disorder. People when they go eat with me they are visibly shocked at how much I can eat."
