Paddy Pimblett's Career Was Crushed In Just 31 Seconds

Talented, eccentric, and often controversial, Paddy Pimblett has the typical traits of a superstar. Through the years, Pimblett became a fan favorite, thanks in large part to his fighting skills, charismatic personality, and unwavering confidence. Understandably, he has also become one of the most popular fighters in modern MMA history. "Whenever I'm back in Liverpool and go out anywhere, I'm always seeing people, queues, or people waiting to get pictures with me," Pimblett, a proud Liverpool native, told Forbes of his fame in a March 2023 interview. "By now, I'm quite used to it. I get up on it, and you should never moan about it."

Pimblett's influence, however, extends beyond fighting in the MMA ring. In December 2022, he founded The Baddy Foundation, a nonprofit organization raising awareness about men's mental health and helping children affected by food insecurity. Earlier that year, Pimblett drew public attention after delivering a heartfelt speech encouraging men to open up about their struggles. "Listen, if you're a man and you've got weight on your shoulders, and you think the only way you can solve it is by killing yourself, please speak to someone. Speak to anyone," he implored at the time.

But while Pimblett is admired for his career achievements and advocacy, he has also had his fair share of controversies through the years. Like many other sports stars who ruined their careers, some of these controversies threatened his reputation and seem to have left a permanent dent on his successful career. Keep reading to find out how.

In September 2009, Paddy Pimblett had his first encounter with MMA when he watched Vitor Belfort defeat Rick Franklin in the iconic UFC 103 match. "The first one I stayed up live for was Belfort vs Franklin, Belfort knocked him out in about a minute and I went for a run at like six in the morning afterward," Pimblett recalled while appearing on "Anything Goes With James English" in 2021. This fight left a lasting impression on Pimblett, immediately sparking his interest in martial arts. 

The following year, Pimblett registered at the Next Generation MMA gym, opting to train four times a week.  Though he proved to have a knack for Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Pimblett struggled at the beginning of his training. Recounting his first striking class in the gym, he told GQ: "I got battered by Milly, this Brazilian woman. I'll never forget it!"

Despite his initial troubles, however, Pimblett's grit and hard work quickly paid off. Upon completing his training, he advanced to the gym's competition level, eventually securing his first competitive fight at 16. Pimblett would go on to win that match, reinforcing his decision to pursue a career in MMA. "I ended up winning by decision against a 24-year-old. I was 16. When I got my hand raised, it was just like, 'Yeah, I'm doing this forever,'" he recounted in his interview with GQ. 

After years of training with Next Generation Gym, Paddy Pimblett made his professional debut in October 2012, stepping into the bantamweight division with a match against Nathan Thompson. The match, which saw Paddy dominate over Thompson, ended in a first-round technical knockout victory for the Next Gen alum. With this win, Pimblett kicked off what would eventually become an incredibly successful career.

That same year, in December, Pimblett had his second professional match, fighting against Scottish MMA fighter Dougie Scott. Once again, Pimblett went home victorious, after securing a win by submission in the first round. The young athlete continued his professional streak in June 2013 when he faced Jack Drabble. This time, Pimblett took the world by surprise when he won the match via knockout in only 21 seconds. In no time, Pimblett became an MMA spectacle and soon landed a deal with Cage Warriors, the popular London-based MMA promotion company.

After signing a contract with Cage Warriors, Paddy Pimblett made his debut with the company with a fight against Florian Calin in July 2013. With only three fights under his belt at the time, Pimblett's contract with the Cage Warriors was a step forward in his career. "It's a step up and I've got a better class of opponent, and I can't wait to fight him," he shared in a pre-match interview. "Yeah it's great, I just want to get the first win of Cage Warriors and build up from there. When I have a few fights, I'll beat the champion and move on [myself]." Pimblett's ambitious comments ended up a reality when he secured a unanimous victory decision against Calin, marking the start of his remarkable career with Cage Warriors.  

In September 2016, three years after his debut, he reached another milestone after defeating Johnny Franchey to become the Cage Warriors Featherweight Champion. Ironically, Pimblett's rise to the top in Cage Warriors set off the controversial phase of his career. Two months after claiming the featherweight championship, Pimblett defended his title in a match against Julian Erosa. Though he won the match, Pimblett's victory was not well received by the MMA community, with many insisting Erosa was robbed. "Julian Erosa beat Paddy Pimblett ... I don't care what the judges said that night," one fan shared on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

In February 2017, Cage Warriors shared a Facebook post announcing that Paddy Pimblett would be defending his featherweight championship in a fight against English MMA star Nad Narimani. Ahead of the fight, Pimblett predicted he would win the match, while also showing admiration for his opponent. "I like Nad, I respect Nad but I know it's not going to be nice for him when he's walking out," Pimblett declared in an interview with MMA Plus. But the match did not go as expected, with Narimani going home with the championship and Pimblett losing his title.

This loss had a profound impact on Pimblett, plunging him into a struggle with his mental health. "After that fight, I went into a deep, deep, dark depression. I was waking up every morning crying for three months. I thought about taking my own life," he revealed in a November 2022 appearance on "Pub Talk," as shared by The Mirror. In addition to his mental struggles, Pimblett had to deal with the aftermath of a hand surgery after sustaining an injury during the fight.

In the wake of the loss, Pimblett moved up to the lightweight category, soon making a comeback with his win against Alexis Savvidis in a February 2018 match. His attempt to win the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight championship in September of that year, however, ended in disappointment when Pimblett lost to Soren Bak via a unanimous decision.The defeat, yet another huge blow to Pimblett, left the young fighter feeling inadequate. "You don't want to go out. You don't want to leave your bedroom. You feel like the biggest failure," he shared in an interview on the "Tony Bellew is Angry" podcast.

In March 2021, news broke that Paddy Pimblett had signed a contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). "It was inevitable, weren't it? It was always going to happen and now it's finally happened," Pimblett told Business Insider at the time, calling himself the "biggest signing of the decade." Six months later, Pimblett made his highly anticipated UFC debut in a match against Brazilian fighter Luigi Vendramini. Unsurprisingly, Pimblett lived up to his reputation, dominating the match and landing a knockout victory in the first round. "I'm a scouser. We don't get knocked out. I'm here to take over. I'm the new cash cow. I'm the new man. People are going to be calling me out now," Pimblett bragged in a post-match interview with MMA Fighting. That same night, Pimblett received a Performance of the Night bonus. 

Pimblett continued his winning streak in March 2022 when he faced Mexican fighter Rodrigo Vargas, winning the match via submission in the first round. Once again, Pimblett was awarded a Performance of the Night bonus. "It wasn't as clean as I liked, but are you not entertained? Lad, see this Arena, the O2 — it's too small. Get us to Anfield," the former Cage Warrior star gushed after his epic win, expressing his dream to fight on a bigger stage. 

In July 2022, Pimblett cemented his status as a UFC star after recording his third consecutive win in a match against Jordan Leavitt. Like his first two matches, Pimblett once again went home with a Performance of the Night award.

Paddy Pimblett made headlines after news of his feud with media personality Ariel Helwani broke in 2022. The public spat stemmed from claims that Pimblett had requested to get paid for an appearance on Helwani's podcast, "MMA Hour." Defending his request, Pimblett alleged that the famous podcast host asked him to cancel another paid gig, so it was only fair to recoup his loss in the form of a payment from Helwani. "He went off on one, you know what I mean?" Pimblett told GQ of Helwani's reaction to his request. "And then he ended up saying something about me on his show because I was getting all tweets after."

Pimblett seemingly retaliated during an episode of "Chattin Pony with Paddy The Baddy" when he accused Helwani of using famous fighters to promote his podcast show. Dana White, the controversial president of the UFC, was also a guest on the podcast and described Helwani as "the biggest piece of sh** of all time." Helwani, however, refuted Pimblett's accusations by releasing texts and voice notes that proved it was Pimblett who had in fact, initiated setting up the interview.

While Pimblett had built a loyal fanbase through the years, his feud with Helwani left a sour taste for many. "Ariel Helwani has made Paddy Pimblett look like a right moron, to say the very least," one user wrote on X, highlighting the backlash Pimblett faced in the wake of the scandal.

In October 2022, UFC announced that Paddy Pimblett would be facing American MMA star Jared Gordon. "Paddy the Baddy is back in action, as he is set to take on @JFlashGordonMMA at #UFC282," a tweet from the company read at the time (via MMA Junkie). In December of that year, Pimblett and Gordon stepped into the ring, tussling it out at UFC 282. Though Paddy had a good run in the first round, Gordon landed more strikes against his opponent according to the heavily contested scorecard. In the second round, Pimblett and Gordon landed nearly equal strikes. The third round was more slow-paced, with Gordon seemingly having the upper hand. In the end, Pimblett was declared winner via a unanimous vote from judges. 

Pimblett's win was, however, not well received by fans who believed Gordon was robbed. "How Paddy won any round in this fight still amazes me," one person wrote on X. "I don't know how Gordon lost that fight, the judges were a disgrace," a second user tweeted. Jared also described the loss as "heartbreaking" while admitting his devastation. "But there's nothing I can do obviously. We'll see what comes with it," he added in his interview with MMA Fighting. Gordon also commented on the judges' decision to name Pimblett the winner, describing it as one of the "top three worst decisions ever in UFC history."

Following his match with Jared Gordon, Paddy Pimblett had an interview with controversial commentator Joe Rogan that quickly went from celebratory to contentious. During the interview Rogan commented on the fight, noting that it was a close call for Pimblett. "No, it wasn't, it wasn't close!" Pimblett replied, asserting that he had won the fight squarely. 

Pimblett commented on the interaction in a separate interview, expressing his frustration over Rogan's comments as well as the public's claim that the match was closely contested. "I'm pretty pissed off, to be honest. Joe Rogan came in and said it was a close fight. I'm like, 'What are you on about? That was a close fight?' Well, is everyone smoking proper heavy kush or something? What's everyone on about?" he told Aaron Bronsteter of TSN Sports. Pimblett also shared his analysis of the fight, insisting that he won by a clear margin. "I don't think it was close. I don't understand how anyone thinks it was close."

Though it might have seemed inconsequential at the time, Pimblett faced backlash for his interview with Rogan, with fans calling him arrogant and undeserving of the win. Though only a few seconds, the interview would go on to leave a lasting impact on Pimblett's career. Here's to hoping he can get back in the good books of his fans!