UFC lightweight Paddy Pimblett believes fans are focusing more on his controversial decision victory over Jared Gordon than some actual "robberies."
Pimblett is set to return to action for his first assignment of 2024 at this weekend's UFC 304 pay-per-view event, where the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, will play host to his first opportunity to crack the rankings at 155 pounds.
To do so, "The Baddy" must extend his perfect Octagon record at the expense of King Green. The Liverpudlian will enter the contest as an underdog and with significant portions of the MMA community doubting his chances.
That trend has been evident ever since a narrow victory over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December 2022. Having boosted his stock to an all-time high with back-to-back highlight reel submission in London that year, a controversial decision going in his favor appeared to turn a strong chunk of the fanbase against Pimblett.
And the fact that his win over Gordon is still used as a way to detract from his UFC career thus far remains a point of frustration for the ex-Cage Warriors champion...
Pimblett: Gordon Fight Was 'Close', Not A 'Robbery'
During an interview with the New York Post Sports' Erich Richter, Pimblett looked ahead to his first outing on home soil since 2022 and discussed the two results he's had in the United States since.
While he's another fight on from the widely debated decision against Gordon, Pimblett noted that he still gets plenty of comments about it. "The Baddy" bemoaned that fact, pointing to what sees as legitimate robberies that don't get the level of scrutiny as his "close" bout with Gordon does 19 months later.
It was a close decision. I do regret saying in the cage after, 'No way, that wasn't close!' But lad, I just fought for 15 minutes," Pimblett said. "I still get comments on my YouTube to this day, 'It seems like Paddy's got more humble now since he fought Jared Gordon.' Like, what? I'm still the same person. ... The fact I said, 'I think I won that fight,' people turned on me. I found that absolutely crazy.
I ended up watching the fight back and was like, 'Yeah, that was a close fight.' ... But I think if you watch it with commentary, that sways you a lot more towards Jared," Pimblett continued. "It was a close fight, but I don't get to this day why it still gets brought up and people still say that it's a robbery. If that's a robbery, people need to go watch Khabib vs. Gleison Tibau! Even Jared's last fight, that's more of a robbery.
Nevertheless, while he's struggled to escape the memory of that controversy in the year and a half since, Pimblett has insisted that the fanbase will be back on his side after he dispatches King Green in violent fashion come fight night in Manchester.
The pair are tasked with setting the stage for two championship headliners, as Pimblett's fellow countrymen Leon Edwards and Tom Aspinall put their titles on the line.
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