Paddy Mark Pimblett, born on 3 January 1995, is an English professional mixed martial artist. Known as "The Baddy," Pimblett has made a significant impact on the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional since 2012, Pimblett is a former Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion and currently competes in the Lightweight division of the UFC.
Early Life and Career
Pimblett was born and grew up in Huyton, Merseyside. Before joining UFC, Pimblett gained prominence in Cage Warriors, where he held the Featherweight Championship. In Cage Warriors 78, Pimblett was crowned champion on home soil. However, he lost the title to Nad Narimani at Cage Warriors 82.
Move to UFC
Paddy Pimblett signed a UFC deal and immediately declared himself the signing of the decade. His UFC debut was against Luigi Vendramini on September 4, 2021, at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till. Pimblett staged a comeback to deliver a brutal knockout, earning him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Key UFC Fights
- UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall: Pimblett faced Rodrigo Vargas, securing a first-round submission victory.
- UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall: Pimblett faced Jordan Leavitt, winning by rear-naked choke.
- UFC 282: Pimblett faced Jared Gordon, winning by controversial decision.
- UFC 296: Pimblett faced Tony Ferguson, winning by decision.
- UFC 304: Pimblett faced Bobby Green, winning by choke out.
- UFC 314: Pimblett faced Michael Chandler, winning in Round 3.
Controversies and Rankings
Paddy Pimblett somehow continues to rise through the ranks. Despite his last three wins coming against fighters on lengthy losing skids, there is a serious clamour to have Pimblett fight Ilia Topuria for the lightweight title next year. He is one of the promotion’s biggest stars, and has a built-in feud dating back around half a decade with the champion.
The continued improvement in Pimblett’s ranking seems to be baffling supporters, who have noted that his opponents are not necessarily worth that impressive of a top five spot. One fan wrote, “How does he break into the top 5? He’s only beaten washed Michael Chandler who’s 2-5 in the UFC. Love Paddy, he’s hilarious, but this is some shenanigans right here.” Another added: “Amazing! Who did he fight? Gaethje? Oliveira? No! Maybe F-ING MICHAEL CHANDLER AND TONY FERGUSON????
Read also: Michael Chandler vs. Paddy Pimblett
Back in April, Paddy Pimblett put on the performance of his career as he stopped former title contender and Bellator champion Michael Chandler in Miami. It was enough to land him into the top ten, but he was still believed to be quite a way from a title shot. The belief was that he would pursue a top contender fight against either Charles Oliveira or Justin Gaethje, likely later in the year. However, when Ilia Topuria won the lightweight belt and Islam Makhachev left the division, all of a sudden Pimblett became a serious contender.
Now, it seems that every result that goes his way is working for his spot in the rankings, as he continues rising without a fight ever materializing. He is now in the top five, which means that a bout with Topuria would make total sense.
Rankings were generated by a voting panel made up of media members. The media members were asked to vote for who they feel are the top fighters in the UFC by weight-class and pound-for-pound. A fighter is only eligible to be voted on if they are in active status in the UFC. A fighter can appear in more than one weight division at a time. The champion and interim champion are considered to be in the top positions of their respective divisions and therefore are not eligible for voting by weight-class.
Paddy Pimblett hasn’t had a fight since April, but through other results going his way he continues to climb the UFC rankings. The Scouse star’s victory over Michael Chandler back at UFC 314 was enough to land him the division’s number nine spot. But since then he has steadily been making his way up and losses for the likes of Mateusz Gamrot and most recently Dan Hooker have seen him somehow make his way to fifth.
UFC Fight Results
| Result | Record | Opponent | Method | Event | Date | Round | Time | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 19-3 | Bobby Green | Submission (triangle choke) | UFC 304 | July 27, 2024 | 1 | 4:35 | Manchester, England | Performance of the Night |
| Win | 18-3 | Michael Chandler | TKO (punches) | UFC 314 | April 13, 2025 | 3 | 3:21 | Miami, Florida, USA | Performance of the Night |
| Win | 17-3 | Tony Ferguson | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 296 | December 16, 2023 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | |
| Win | 16-3 | Jared Gordon | Decision (unanimous) | UFC 282 | December 10, 2022 | 3 | 5:00 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | |
| Win | 15-3 | Jordan Leavitt | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall | July 23, 2022 | 2 | 2:59 | London, England | Performance of the Night |
| Win | 14-3 | Rodrigo Vargas | Submission (rear-naked choke) | UFC Fight Night: Volkov vs. Aspinall | March 19, 2022 | 1 | 3:49 | London, England | Performance of the Night |
| Win | 13-3 | Luigi Vendramini | TKO (punches) | UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Till | September 4, 2021 | 1 | 4:25 | Las Vegas, Nevada, USA | Performance of the Night |
MMA Experts 'Predict' Paddy Pimblett vs Justin Gaethje | UFC 324
Awards and Recognition
- Performance of the Night (Five times)
- Fan's Choice Debut of the Year Nominee (2021)
- Fan's Choice Submission of the Year Nominee (2024)
- Ranked #2 Submission of the Year (2024)
- #3 Ranked Submission of the Year (2018, 2024)