Paddy Pimblett returns against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 in Las Vegas

Paddy Pimblett’s return to the Octagon will now come against fellow lightweight Jared Gordon at UFC 282 on Dec. 10 from inside T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. It will be the first time Pimblett is fighting in front of a live crowd in “Sin City.”

UFC officials announced the booking via Twitter early Saturday before deleting the post. Luckily, we were able to grab a screenshot.

Pimblett, 27, has taken the UFC by storm since his debut just over one year ago. The English fighter has turned in a 3-0 record with three finishes while quickly becoming one of the promotion’s hottest tickets. Pimblett’s recent appearances at UFC London were absolutely massive so UFC is hoping to keep “The Baddy” rolling when he returns to the U.S. this December. Should Pimblett get past Gordon he will certainly get a top 15 opponent at lightweight his next time out.

Gordon, 34, has won four out of his last five trips to the Octagon, losing only to Grant Dawson since the start of 2020. While Gordon isn’t a high-ranked opponent he’s a well-rounded veteran who will test Pimblett every step of the way. With solid grappling and a brawler’s mentality Gordon will have a really good chance at knocking “Baddy” off and stealing his shine entering next year.

UFC 282 is expected to be headlined by a light heavyweight rematch between current UFC champion Jiri Prochazka and former titleholder Glover Teixeira. Former 205-pound king Jon Jones was recently rumored to be in talks to main event the card in his heavyweight debut, but UFC president Dana White nixed that idea earlier this week.

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