ABU DHABI – Jared Gordon is taking a refreshing approach heading into his fight with Paddy Pimblett.
Gordon (19-5 MMA, 7-4 UFC) takes on Pimblett (19-3 MMA, 3-0 UFC) at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pimblett has emerged as one of the biggest stars on the roster, and Gordon hopes he can capitalize on that – but not by trash talking him.
Instead, Gordon is hoping to raise awareness for mental health, especially after seeing Pimblett use his platform to urge men to speak up about it. After submitting Jordan Leavitt in July, Pimblett opened up about losing his friend to suicide – something Gordon can relate to.
“He preaches for mental health; I preach for mental health,” Gordon told MMA Junkie. “I think together we could raise awareness for mental health. He recently lost his friend to suicide. I lost my best friend, who was a pro fighter, as well to suicide a little over a year ago. Literally my best friend. And we share common things in our lives, and I think together we could do something to raise awareness instead of just fighting. But in the meantime, we can just entertain the fans, put on a good fight, make some money, better ourselves, and help other people.”
Pimblett is 3-0 since joining the UFC roster, scoring finishes of Luigi Vendramini, Kazula Vargas and most Jordan Leavitt. Gordon, who’s won four of his past five, will mark Pimblett’s most experienced opponent to date.
But Gordon has nothing bad to say about Pimblett. He admits that he likes him and expects an entertaining scrap.
“He’s dangerous, and he’s got certain skill sets that pose dangers,” Gordon said. “He goes for it. He’s not scared to fight. He’s got good grappling. He’s got good throws, and he’s unorthodox, and he’s a character. I like him. It’s nothing malicious on my end, and I think it’s a great fight for me stylistically.”
He continued, “I think it’s gonna be action packed. I’ve been getting a lot more comfortable on my feet. It’s weird. I was super comfortable on my feet and then I kind of got away from it, and now I’m back, but I’m a grappler. Yeah, I did get out-grappled by Grant Dawson. I made some mistakes in that fight, but that was my first submission loss. I’m known as a grappler, so I think that on the feet or on the floor, it’s gonna be a fun fight.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 282.
