Paddy Pimblett suffered a significant setback while recovering from an ankle injury.
Pimblett last fought in December 2022, extending his UFC record to 4-0 with a unanimous decision win against Jared Gordon. Since then, ‘The Baddy’ has been sidelined with an ankle injury that required surgery, which he suffered against Gordon.
During a recent YouTube video, Pimblett was answering questions from fans and provided this updated timeline for his Octagon return:
“When do I see myself returning to fighting this year? And will it be someone in the ranks? Lad, I’ll be honest. I’m open to fight this year. I don’t know if I’ll be able to, We’ll see. I still got this [boot] on me foot, six weeks post-surgery and I’ll have it on for another six weeks. After I get married, getingt back in shape, and get me fitness back up, and me leg back to 100%, before I even think about fighting again.”
MMA fans are eagerly waiting for Pimblett’s next fight. Since making his UFC debut in September 2021, the 28-year-old has won four consecutive Octagon appearances, including three inside the distance. ‘The Baddy’ has a lot of doubters to silence when he returns, as his win against Gordon was widely considered a controversial decision.
Paddy Pimblett details the setback he faced after getting surgery
Paddy Pimblett was seen without a boot earlier this month, but there were still questions about whether he would fight again this year. During the same YouTube video, ‘The Baddy’ revealed he suffered a severe setback when his foot got infected:
“I’ve had setbacks. Me foot got infected, the wound got infected… I had to go and get that sorted… Everything that you could’ve think went wrong, went wrong. I want to fight before the end of the year…”
Pimblett continued by saying:
“I’m not rushing back. I’m gonna let the healing process happen this time. I’m gonna let it all go smoothly, get me leg back to full strength, get better. Once I’m back to 100% fitness then I can get a full fight camp behind me. I just wanna get back in the cage, don’t care who it’s against.”
Regardless of when he returns, Pimblett will still be one of the biggest rising superstars in the UFC. It’ll be intriguing to see if the UFC decides to give ‘The Baddy’ another step up in competition or put him against another unranked fighter.
