Paddy’s family and friends don’t doubt he will bounce back stronger
Paddy’s family and friends don’t doubt he will bounce back stronger
Paddy Pimblett suffered defeat at UFC 324 on Saturday evening. Justin Gaethje was named the winner in a unanimous decision to claim the UFC interim lightweight championship in Las Vegas. The five-round bout saw the judges score things 48-47 49-46 49-46.
Those closest to Paddy have been reacting to the devastating defeat. Former UFC fighter and best friend of Paddy, Molly McCann, posted to Instagram with a heartfelt message for the fellow Scouser. Molly wrote: “Not the first loss and won’t be the last, but he will grow from this and so will the team.
“Heart is broken for you Padge, but couldn’t be more proud of you either.” The message came after she wished him look ahead of the highly-anticipated fight.
Before the fight, Molly said: “To our Patrick. The night has come. You are about to become a world champion again, just like you have dreamed, just like you have said, and just like you have manifested since you first ever started this game.
“I am so proud of you lad, the same with all the boys. You have all been there together from the beginning, and it is your time to go and get it. The whole world will be tuning in to see your arm be raised and the new ‘Paddy the Baddy Pimblett world champion’, smash its head in lad.”
The first round saw UFC veteran Justin Gaethje take Paddy down early, but the Scouser withstood the onslaught to regain his footing before an accidental eye poke to saw the ring doctor enter the octagon to see to Paddy.
Gaethje had Paddy on the ropes multiple times in round four, but he refused to give in and landed plenty of his own hits in the later stages. However, the American fighter again took the early advantage with multiple hard strikes.
Gaethje managed to stay on his feet but appeared to look tired as the clock wound down but he was able to finish the final round well and win the fight. Heading into Saturday’s main event, Paddy was 7-0 in the UFC, but in Gaethje, he faced his mos experienced opponent yet.
After the fight, Paddy spoke about his support for men’s mental health, after losing two close friends since his last fight, before he added a tribute for former Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother, Andre Silva, who tragically passed away in a car crash last year.
He said: “Obviously, I’m a Liverpool fan, and I know there’ll be loads of Liverpool fans here, there’s a Liverpool legend what passed away in the past few months, Diogo Jota, and his brother Andre, so I’d like to dedicate that performance to them, even though I didn’t win.”
The 31-year-old had some kind words for his opponent, Gaethje, as well. He said: “I wanted to be walking away with that belt. And I know how tough I am anyway. I don’t need to prove it to anyone. I wanted to leave with that belt.
“But there’s no man I’d rather lose to than ‘The Highlight’, someone I grew up watching. It shows why he’s a legend, right there. I thought 48-47 was a fair scorecard.”
