Paddy Pimblett is currently preparing to take on Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 toward the end of January in Las Vegas, Nevada – and the ‘Human Highlight’ will be paying attention to flaws in the Scouse star’s ground game
Paddy Pimblett was submitted at Next Generation MMA for the first time in five years, as he prepares for a mega-money showdown with Justin Gaethje.
‘The Baddy’ recently took part in his gym’s King of the Mat grappling tournament, with video footage shared on social media showing the 31-year-old – who is renowned for his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu – tapping to a calf-slicer in the final. A clip posted on Instagram shows Pimblett standing as his opponent, Arran Jordan, sweeps his left leg from guard, initially going for a toe-hold.
Pimblett then tried to stand to pull his way out of the submission, only to be pulled backward, allowing Jordan to take a dangerous position. While rear-naked chokes are usually a choice technique from the back, Pimblett’s opponent still had his right leg overlapping the UFC star’s calf as he fell on top of him.
From there, he locked Pimblett’s foot on the opposite side of his body, applying pressure with the hips to put excruciating pressure on the Liverpudlian’s calf with his own shin, and ultimately, beckoning the tap.
Both men lying exhausted on the mat, Pimblett then rolled over to shake hands with Jordan in a showing of sportsmanship. Speaking in the aftermath of the event on Next Gen’s YouTube channel, Pimblett said: “I said didn’t I?
“If I don’t win it’s either going to be Matty who didn’t do it, Conrad who I tapped, or Arran Jordan who tapped me. So as I said, it was going to be one of them didn’t I?
“It’s nice to actually get beat for once. It sounds weird to say – I’m a wall-puncher when I get beat, but then after it, it’s nice to actually get beat because I reckon the past five years, whenever I’ve done it, I’ve tapped Arran Jordan.
“So for him, f*** it, it’s a nice bit of revenge. It’s at least three, I’ve beat him in a final, I subbed him last year, and I think I subbed him the year before. So it’s a nice bit of revenge for Arran. I couldn’t have lost it to a nicer person, do you know what I mean?
“He’s a f***ing belter fella lad, and he’s been training hard for years. He’s a high-level black belt so to lose to him is no shame.”
Meanwhile, Jordan also took to Instagram to mark the win with a photograph of himself with a crown on his head and a bundle of cash. He wrote: “Nice to win king of the mat at the 10th time of asking, as well as least photogenic in the gym.
“Congratulations to everyone who got promoted in particular @dan_holmes_insta getting his black belt. Thanks @theufcbaddy for letting me have one this year, we’ll call it 4:1.”
It comes as Pimblett is currently preparing for one of the biggest fights of his mixed-martial arts career, when he faces Gaethje at UFC 324 later this month in Las Vegas, Nevada for the lightweight title. Heading into the bout with a record of 23-3 and unbeaten in his last nine bouts, confidence will be at an all-time high for Pimblett.
Known particularly for his ground game, Pimblett showed another dimension in his last outing when he secured a third-round technical knockout of Michael Chandler with elbows and punches last April. Gaethje, meanwhile, will be no walk in the park for the Liverpudlian legend.
With a record of 26-5, the ‘Human Highlight’ has a wealth of experience in the cage, including high-profile wins over Dustin Poirier, Tony Ferguson, Donald Cerrone and Edson Barboza, and will look to keep the fight on the feet with his immaculate takedown defence.