Paddy Pimblett is the last person MMA fans would expect to be coming out in support of Jared Gordon after a dodgy decision.
However, after watching his former foe lose yet another controversial call at UFC Saudi Arabia last month, he has spoken out about the result. The pair famously fought back at UFC 282, with the Brit scraping through with one of the most divisive points wins in recent memory.
And it was like deja vu for Gordon as he headed to Riyadh for the promotion’s debut in the region to face Nasrat Haqparast. The Afghanistani fighter was on a similar three-fight winning run in the octagon and seemed to have clearly lost to his American rival, before the judges’ scorecards gave him a split decision.
- HEARTBREAK IN RIYADH: Jared Gordon breaks his silence in ambulance video as fans claim he was once again ‘robbed’
Jared Gordon left heartbroken by Nasrat Haqparast defeat at UFC Saudi Arabia
In the lead-up to his fight in Saudi Arabia, Jared Gordon left no stone unturned as he pursued a vital win that would have almost certainly landed him a spot in the lightweight top 15. He moved to Dubai for training camp to acclimatise to the Middle East as he pushed for the victory.
It appeared early on that the hard work was paying off as he landed at will and seemingly bossed proceedings for the three rounds. But just one judge gave him the fight, while the other two controversially opted for Haqparast.
Fans instantly called robbery on social media, with many joking that Gordon was the victory of some sort of conspiracy. He was clearly upset by the decision on the night but chose not to let it show, graciously shaking his rival’s hand after the fact and releasing an emotional video on his way to the hospital.
“What’s up guys?” He said in a video showing off his battle scars. “I’m on the way to the hospital. I don’t know, it is what it is baby. But, I thought I won. I guess I didn’t again. But, hey, I’ll be back. Love you all, thank you, thanks to my team, you guys are the best.”
Paddy Pimblett leaps to the defence of Jared Gordon after being ‘robbed’ again
One man who many wouldn’t have expected to leap to Gordon’s defence was Paddy Pimblett, who inflicted a similar injustice on him in December of 2022. While the Liverpool native did land a controversial ‘victory’, it’s arguable the result caused him more harm than good.
After a tumultuous fight week in which he feuded with journalist Ariel Helwani and generally made a poor impression on fans, Pimblett couldn’t get past the looping right hand of Gordon all night. But he managed to do just enough for all three judges to score the bout in his favour and have his hand raised.
Years later, there is still a clamour to see the pair run it back. And one fan jokingly asked Pimblett during a recent vlog “Did you tell the judges to never let Jared Gordon win a decision when you guys fought?” He giggled at the idea, before giving an earnest take.
“I though Jared won last week against Nasrat, lad,” Pimblett told the camera. “I thought he got robbed, to be honest.” He also later noted that he and Helwani have not reconciled, but that it could be on the cards eventually.
Paddy Pimblett admits his fight with Jared Gordon was much closer than he expected
On the night, Pimblett was not gracious in his victory while speaking with Joe Rogan in his post-fight interview. When quizzed on how close the fight was, he insisted that it wasn’t before demanding a fight of the night bonus despite it being a relatively tame affair.
Ultimately, while recovering from an injury he suffered early in the bout that ended up costing him a year of his career, Pimblett reflected on the performance. And speaking with Bleacher Report, he admitted that it had perhaps been closer than he expected.
“I [initially] thought I won two rounds to one, and I watched the fight back, and I thought I won two rounds to one. I’ll be honest, it was a lot closer than I thought it was,” Pimblett said after the fact.
“I never dominated, but I think the only clear round in the whole fight is the second, and that’s for me. The third round, he just holds me. He doesn’t really do nothing.”
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