- Ben Askren thinks Paddy Pimblett managed to confuse fans that he beat Jared Gordon at UFC 282
- “Funky” said “The Baddy” really is like Conor McGregor in terms of cockiness
Paddy Pimblett walked away with a controversial unanimous decision win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Some say, including former UFC welterweight Ben Askren, there’s no way “The Baddy” won that fight but he did a great job confusing fans that he outright beat his opponent.
It’s all about the confidence
Speaking to Daniel Cormier’s official YouTube channel, “Funky” couldn’t help but talk about the way Pimblett boasted about his win and insisted that “it wasn’t even close.” According to Askren, as much as he is convinced Gordon got the better of Pimblett, he admired how “The Baddy” killed the issue with his confidence.
“He didn’t win that fight. But I love what he did. When he got the mic he said, ‘it wasn’t even close!’… I loved it, he sold it,” Askren said. “… I think you can confuse fans, some fans aren’t as educated. So I think there’s two ways to go with it: you could go the super honest route like, ‘Wow! I didn’t think I was gonna win, I was shocked.’ Or you could go, ‘I won for sure.’”
Little McGregor
Pimblett has long been drawing comparisons to Conor McGregor due to the resemblance in their notable flamboyant personality. Askren attested that “The Baddy” really has that McGregor cockiness in him and hate it or love it, it worked to his advantage at UFC 282.
“I think he’s got that little McGregor, Uber cocky type of thing and so, I think it worked,” Askren assessed. “I think that’s what early McGregor would have done also.”
It can be recalled that stats show Gordon was the more efficient striker in the said fight. He also outgrappled Pimblett, completing three takedowns compared to “The Baddy’s” zero. However, Pimblett argued that the only round he might have lost was the third and final round because he relaxed a bit and judging by how beat up Gordon’s face was, it’s easy to see that he won the fight.
As it stands, Pimblett has kept his flawless UFC record (4-0), but some suggest that he needs to prove himself first before he gets a clash with a ranked lightweight opponent.
