UFC veteran, Nate Diaz, was unimpressed with Paddy Pimblett after his controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Pimblett was awarded the unanimous decision in a fight that many people believed should have been his first UFC loss.
Since the event, Paddy has admitted that criticism from former fighters like Diaz and Joe Rogan has caused him to re-evaluate his performance. The 28-year-old was slated across the sport after stating post-fight that he believed the result was correct.
Paddy Pimblett on His Critics
Many fans were expecting the decision to go the way of Jared Gordon, despite all three judges favouring “The Baddy”. One of his critics, Nate Diaz, tweeted that Pimblett was “fighting a 145lber” and added: “Bruh? You lost that fight.” He was echoed by Rogan, who was equally shocked at the result and later theorised that the Brit had won because of his popularity.
“I don’t care what most armchairs say,” Pimblett told MMA Junkie. “That doesn’t bother me. When former pros or pros like Nate Diaz are saying I didn’t win, and Joe Rogan is saying I didn’t win, that’s when you think, ‘F***ing hell.’ But people who sit on their armchair and comment on my YouTube and Instagram, I don’t care about. It’s the actual pros who thought I lost.
“But I was with Chuck Liddell last week and he was saying, ‘I don’t know what people are talking about, a robbery’. He was saying it was a close fight, but it’s not a robbery. What he even said to me was, ‘why did they give him a takedown in the first round, you pulled guard?’ I was like, ‘I know, I pulled guard, he didn’t do nothing and I split his head open with an elbow’.
“But I didn’t finish him, so everyone’s against me. I [have] seen people giving me stick after it for saying I won; what do you want me to do? Say, ‘I think I lost there’? I do think I won. I’ve watched the fight back and I don’t think it was as dominant as I thought it was straight after.”
What Next for Paddy?
Paddy is currently being forced to sit on the sidelines as he recovers from an ankle injury. He has stated that he aims to be back before the end of the year. Many opponents have been teased as possibilities for the Scouser’s return. Jamie Mullarkey, Drew Dober and Terrence McKinney have all thrown their names into the mix.
What do you make of Paddy’s criticism since the vents of UFC 282? Let us know!
Featured image credits to Embed from Getty Images
