Paddy Pimblett could be sidelined for a while following surgery.
Over the past few years, there has not been a fighter rising up in popularity as much as Paddy Pimblett has. He came to the UFC back in September of 2021 and immediately began turning heads. His fun personality and his flashy fight style made him a fan favorite almost overnight. The fact that he continues to win is another factor in his unprecedented rise. Now it seems that Pimblett must slow his roll and bit and take some time off to heal up.
Pimblett’s last time out was in December when he fought Jared Gordon. That fight was a very close one that was stained with controversy afterward. Pimblett came away with the unanimous decision, but many feel that Gordon should have gotten the nod. Although both men have been vocally open to a rematch, Pimblett is now explaining that he might be out for the rest of the year.
Paddy Pimblett thinks he would be lucky to get back to the Octagon this year
At the beginning of March, Pimblett went under the knife to fix a problem in his ankle. He is now explaining that the issue was much worse than he initially expected and his layoff may last the rest of 2023. He spoke about this in an interview with Sky Sports.
“It was after me last fight, we fought in the first round like the first minute or two I threw a kick I felt it like but obviously we crack on, we got through the fight,” he said. “At the end of the fight, I go back to the medical room it was sore. I couldn’t get it looked at until I got back home. When the actual swelling went down and I went in to get surgery, it was a lot worse than they thought. I had to get in and out ligament surgery, well, reconstruction… I’ll be lucky to fight this year.”
Pimblett is saying the injury happened in the fight and has been blaming that for his performance. He wants to run it back with Gordon but now he will need more time to heal. With his win over Gordon he is creeping closer to a ranked position but now with the set back his future is unclear. With the popularity he has, fighters are always looking for a fight against him, so whenever he is ready to return, it should be no trouble finding a suitable opponent.
