Paddy Pimblett will not be fighting in London, England at UFC 286 in March.
After Pimblett edged out a controversial decision over Jared Gordon at UFC 282, many wondered if Pimblett would return at UFC 286 in London.
However, after his win over Gordon, Paddy Pimblett mentioned an ankle injury, and now he revealed in a YouTube video that he needs surgery.
Paddy Pimblett’s Statement
“Looks like you have got a small amount of cartilage lost in this bit, and that’s exactly where you’re sore,” Pimblett’s doctor said after examining him. “The other thing you’ve got is all this white stuff around here. That’s all fluid, so that’s what all the swelling is. Now when we look at your ligaments that joins from your fibula, you probably got what we call a Grade 2 injury to that.”
With Pimblett needing surgery, it rules him out from returning at UFC 286 which is disappointing news for English fans as ‘The Baddy’ is a massive star. When he fought twice in England last year, the pop he got was massive and he no doubt would’ve helped ticket sales or pay-per-view buys being on the card, but he will have to watch it instead.
As of right now, it’s uncertain when Pimblett will be able to return to the Octagon but he needs to undergo surgery first.
Paddy Pimblett (20-3) is 4-0 in the UFC, and as mentioned, is coming off the decision win over Jared Gordon. Prior to that, he submitted Jordan Leavitt after submitting Kazula Vargas, with both fights taking place in London. In his debut, he scored a KO win over Luigi Vendramini. Before signing with the UFC, he fought in Cage Warriors and was a massive star becoming the featherweight champ and even picking up a notable title defense over Julian Erosa. He also had fought – and lost to – Nad Narimani, Cameron Else, and Soren Bak before signing with the UFC.