Paddy Pimblett Continues to Battle Weight Issues
Social media is great for sharing photos with friends. But posting things for the world to see also isn’t great for any public figure who wants to avoid taking cheap shots. Just a month ago, Paddy Pimblett fought Tony Ferguson at UFC 296 and looked shredded.
Pimblett was physically fit and showcased muscles all over his body with a six-pack. But the holiday season seemed to have brought back some of his urges. Photos Pimblett online showed him looking well above his lightweight limit.
While it is not unusual for fighters to walk around at a weight much heavier than their fighting weight, Pimblett’s dieting seems to be one of his battles in life, according to MMA latest updates. The UFC lightweight hasn’t shied away from the spotlight. As someone who has a frequent media presence, Pimblett sometimes will take the opportunity to shed light on things he is working on.
What Pimblett has revealed is a look at what makes combat sports difficult. Sure, being able to strike and wrestle is necessary for getting into the cage in the first place. But a big part of the challenge at the professional level is coming in within the assigned weight limit.
Frequent Weight Cuts Have Weighed on Pimblett
Participating in combat sports requires keeping up with weight limits to keep fights fair and safe. But the pressure of meeting those weight limits is what has weighed on Pimblett. Over the course of his career, he has made more than two dozen weight cuts.
Following his third fight in the UFC, Pimblett weighed in at nearly 60 points over his fighting weight limit while he was awaiting the next spot in his schedule. Pimblett said that he has battled a number of addictions throughout his life. In addition to eating, Pimblett has also struggled with gambling and partying, according to MMA news sites.
Pimblett is a Rising Star
Many people have debated about whether or not Pimblett has the pedigree to win a championship. When Pimblett came into the UFC in September 2021, he brought a large amount of energy, winning his first three fights by finish. However, Pimblett’s last two fights have cast some doubts on his ceiling.
Pimblett won a narrow decision against Jared Gordon at UFC 282. Many people believed that Gordon had won the fight. After a year off, Pimblett came back to fight Ferguson. While Ferguson was a former interim champion, his best days are long behind him. Ferguson had lost six straight fights before taking on Pimblett.
While the bout was one-sided in Pimblett’s favor, he didn’t put on the performance many people were hoping to see from him. Pimblett will need to keep stacking wins to climb in the rankings.
Pre-UFC Career Showed Battle with Scale
While Pimblett hasn’t missed weight during any of his UFC fights, that wasn’t the case earlier in his career. While competing in Cage Warriors, Pimblett was forced to have two fights at a catchweight while he was competing at featherweight in 2014.
Pimblett would end up winning the Full Contact Contender featherweight championship. When he made it back to Cage Warriors, he would end up fighting as a catchweight again. After fighting at catchweight at 152 pounds in July 2015, he would fight for the Cage Warriors featherweight championship in 2016.
He beat Johnny Frachey to win the title in September 2016 and defended it against future UFC contender Julian Erosa, according to the best MMA news site.
Dropping Weight is Something People Keep a Close Eye on
Pimblett’s weight gain is concerning because of how precise a fighter’s weight needs to be in order to participate in the UFC. For non-championship fights, the fighters are given a 1-pound allowance to go over and still be able to get their full purse. If a fighter comes in overweight, they are fined a percentage of their purse if their opponent is willing to take the fight.
In some cases, opponents will refuse to take the fight if their opponent is overweight. Stephen Thompson refused to fight Michel Periera at UFC 291 after Pereira missed weight. This hurt both men. Pereira didn’t have a fight. While Thompson made weight, he also didn’t get paid by the UFC for declining another opponent.
The rules for championship fighters are even more strict. There is no weight difference allowance made. Depending on the situation, different organizations handle things differently if the opponent still wants to fight. Typically, the fight will go on with only the fighter who made weight being eligible to win the fight. If a fighter misses weight at the first weigh-in, the athletic commission will give them two hours to make the weight. Some fighters have been forced to step on the scale naked to get down to the number needed.
In the case of Charles Oliveira, he was stripped of the lightweight title for missing weight. When he fought Islam Makhachev for the belt, only Makhachev was able to win it. Makhachev won the bout and prevented the UFC from having a vacated championship.
Pimblett Working on Cracking Rankings
Pimblett has yet to get into the top 15 of the UFC lightweight rankings. Part of the reason for Pimblett’s slow rise has been the UFC seems to be bringing Pimblett along slowly. Pimblett hasn’t fought many ranked fighters.
While Pimblett has shown his promise against low-level guys, he will need to show that he can maintain that level against top guys. Pimblett’s personality has played well to the crowd, especially in his home country. The UFC would like to see him grow, but Pimblett will need to back it up in the Octagon.
Pimblett just needs to get his weight under control. How much time he dedicates to that will require a lot of personal discipline. Pimblett
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