Paddy Pimblett taking business approach: ‘I’m glad I never ended up fighting Jared Gordon’

Paddy Pimblett may be the next big British superstar for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC)

The 27-year-old earned his 17th career victory in what was his 20th bout, which also happened to be his long-awaited Octagon debut. Pimblett scored a thrilling first round technical knockout over Luigi Vendramini after enduring some early adversity (watch highlights).

Pimblett blew the roof off UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas, Nevada, with his victory and now has the potential to do so again when he heads to London for his upcoming fight with Kazula Vargas on March 19, 2022.

However, Vargas wasn’t the original opponent fans expected.

Speculation of Pimblett versus mixed martial arts (MMA) veteran Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone was present for a while until UFC President, Dana White, came out publicly to say Jared Gordon would be the Liverpool native’s next dance partner. This, obviously, did not end up being true.

“I would have happily fought Jared Gordon, but at the same time, I looked at it, and he’s had nine UFC fights,” Pimblett said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast (h/t MMA Junkie). “How much money do you think he’s getting? He’s getting a lot more than me, lad. So thinking about it that way, I’m glad I never ended up fighting Jared Gordon because I want a better and bigger contract before I fight people like that.”

The former Cage Warriors champion is on a three-fight win streak and aims to extend that with yet another stellar finish when colliding with Vargas. Never short on confidence, Pimblett predicts the fight to once again end in round one.

“It’s definitely gonna be a first-round finish,” Pimblett said. “I can’t see him lasting any more than five minutes with me, to be honest. Even though he’s got good heart, he’s got a good chin, he’s resolute, but I showcased my striking in the last fight. I might have to showcase my grappling in this one. I’m going with a first-round submission or a first-round TKO off ground-and-pound.”