UFC star Paddy Pimblett makes his return to the UK tonight amid a packed UFC London card that includes a number of top British fighters.
The Liverpool native will face off with Rodrigo Vargas in his second fight for the promotion after scoring a stunning first round knockout win over Luigi Vendramini last time out. He hasn't made any effort to stay under the radar this week, getting into altercations with other fighters at the hotel and causing a massive crowd reaction at yesterday's weigh-in.
Pimblett has attracted hundreds of thousands of followers since debuting in the UFC after becoming a local celebrity in Liverpool due to his title-winning performances in the cage and hilarious antics outside of it. But he'll begin to face stern tests as he continues to ascend in the top MMA promotion, with a tough fight awaiting him this evening at the O2 Arena.
Here's all you need to know about Paddy Pimblett's fight tonight...
What time is Paddy Pimblett fighting?
UFC London's prelim card begins at 5.30pm with Muhammad Mokaev's debut against Cody Durden. There are 12 fights on the card, with Pimblett fighting in the third fight from the end. The main card will begin at 8pm local time, meaning you can expect Pimblett's walk to be around 9.30pm assuming the other fights don't go particularly short.
The main event ring walks should be around 10.30pm when Tom Aspinall faces Alexander Volkov in a vitally important heavyweight clash.
Where can I watch?
The fights will be broadcast live on BT Sport 1. BT customers can access the action as part of their standard subscription at no extra cost, and it will also be live streamed on BT Sport’s website and app for subscribers.
Who else is on the card?
Main card
Alexander Volkov vs Tom Aspinall
Arnold Allen vs Dan Hooker
Paddy Pimblett vs Rodrigo Vargas
Gunnar Nelson vs Takashi Sato
Molly McCann vs Luana Carolina
Jai Herbert vs Ilia Topuria
Do you think Paddy Pimblett will beat Rodrigo Vargas tonight? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Preliminary card
Mike Grundy vs Makwan Amirkhani
Shamil Abdurakhimov vs Sergei Pavlovich
Muhammad Mokaev vs Cody Durden
Nikita Krylov vs Paul Craig
Jack Shore vs Timur Valiev
Cory McKenna vs Elise Reed
Betting odds
Paddy Pimblett is an unbackable 1/6 favourite to win, while the Mexican Vargas is priced at 4/1. The highly unlikely outcome of a draw is priced at a massive 50/1.
Quotes corner
Paddy Pimblett: "I was built for this - I was put on this Earth to fight and entertain people and I'm going to continue to do it on Saturday night. I always try and finish the fight no matter what.
"I wear my heart on my sleeve inside and outside the cage. I am just real. I'm not trying to be anything I'm not and I think people love me for that."
