Paddy ‘The Baddy’ Pimblett earned a controversial unanimous points victory against Jared Gordon in their lightweight bout at UFC 282.
Despite being unranked, the popular Liverpudlian capped a fine year by coming out on top on the judges’ scorecards in a close lightweight co-main event against his experienced American opponent at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday.
Many booed Pimblett (20-3) winning 29-28 on all three judges’ cards, while Gordon shook his head and laughed when the scores were announced.
“Jared is tough, he’s a tough man,” Pimblett said. “He’s come back, hats off to him. I knew I won the first and second so coasted in the third not wanting to take any stupid risks.”
Pimblett, who scored victories at UFC London in March and July, extends the unbeaten start to his UFC career to four wins.
But the 27-year-old says he is unsure when he will return to the octagon after suffering an injury during the fight.
“We’ll see. I’m not gonna lie, I hurt my right foot in the first round. I’ll need that X-rayed,” he said.
Magomed Ankalaev (right) vs Jan Blachowicz ended in a controversial split draw
The UFC’s light-heavyweight championship will remain vacant after a title bout between Poland’s Jan Blachowicz and Russia’s Magomed Ankalaev ended in a controversial split draw.
The headline event was initially supposed to be a bout between Jiri Prochazka and Glover Teixeira, but Prochazka was forced to vacate his title due to a serious shoulder injury.
After a cautious opening round in which both title contenders took their time sounding each other out, Blachowicz peppered Ankalaev’s front leg with kicks and put the Russian under pressure in the second and third rounds.
Ankalaev responded by dragging Blachowicz to the ground in the fourth and fifth rounds, and appeared to have done enough to secure the victory, before the bout was called a draw – just the fifth draw in UFC history.
In a rare act of sportsmanship, Blachowicz, who previously held the belt for 398 days between September 2020 and October 2021, said the win should have been awarded to Ankalaev.
“I have to watch the fight again, but for sure, I did not win the fight. I don’t know if I lost the fight, but for sure I’m not the winner,” Blachowicz added.
Britain’s Darren Till suffered his fifth defeat in his past six bouts as he was submitted by rear-naked choke in the third round in a middleweight fight with South Africa’s Dricus du Plessis.
On the undercard, 18-year-old Raul Rosas Jr became the youngest fighter to win a UFC bout, beating Jay Perrin via submission on his debut.
