Pimblett edges Gordon in controversial decision, still undefeated in UFC
Some might say Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett needed a little help from the judges to stay undefeated in the UFC on Saturday night.
The budding lightweight star defeated Jared Gordon via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28) - a controversial call that sent the MMA world into a frenzy - in the UFC 282 co-main event in Las Vegas.
This was Pimblett's most competitive fight in the UFC by far. He won his first three appearances by stoppage. This was the first time he went the distance since a Cage Warriors bout in 2018.
Pimblett said afterward he was confident he had done enough to earn the judges' nod.
"That wasn't close... Not at all," Pimblett said in his postfight interview. "I won the first two rounds and then I coasted in the third. I knew I was two rounds up, so I didn't want to do nothing dangerous and risk losing the fight."
However, 23 of 24 media outlets who submitted scorecards to MMADecisions.com had the fight for Gordon. Eleven gave Gordon all three rounds.
Gordon started strong, landing several heavy left hands on the Liverpool native while controlling the cage. Pimblett attacked Gordon with kicks to the head but didn't do as much damage as his opponent did in the first round. Gordon even got on top of Pimblett - who had the grappling edge on paper - late in the frame.
Pimblett said afterward he believes he injured his right foot in the first round and plans to get it checked out.
The second was closer, with Pimblett attempting a bizarre submission and then trading punches with Gordon on the feet. Pimblett's best moment was likely a right hand midway through the round before ending the stanza with a flurry of shots.
Gordon took Pimblett down early in the third round, which amounted to little damage but lots of control time in the clinch. Pimblett landed a few punches toward the end of the fight.
Pimblett, 27, who made his first appearance on a UFC pay-per-view event Saturday, is now 4-0 in the promotion. He's 3-0 in 2022, with submissions of Rodrigo Vargas, Jordan Leavitt, and the controversial decision over Gordon.
Gordon falls to 1-2 in his last three UFC outings and 7-5 in the Octagon. The 34-year-old Kill Cliff FC product has been in the promotion since 2017.