Paddy Pimblett‘s return to the UFC may be delayed due to surgery for inner and outer ligament reconstruction after an ankle injury sustained during his controversial victory over Jared Gordon.
Paddy Pimblett’s much-anticipated return to the octagon might be delayed due to unexpected complications surrounding an ankle injury he sustained during a controversial decision loss to Jared Gordon at UFC 282. In a recent interview with Sky Sports, Pimblett, who was on crutches, shared details about his challenging recovery process, stating that the injury had occurred early in the fight, in the first round of their December matchup in Las Vegas.
The U.K. star recalled, “I’m about to get surgery after my last fight. I hurt my foot in the first round, in like the first minute or two, threw a kick, hurt it. I felt it, but obviously, we crack on, we get through the fight.” He continued, “At the end of the fight, I can remember going back to the medical room just saying my foot is sore. Couldn’t get it looked at properly until I got home. Then, when the actual swelling went down – I didn’t know when to get surgery – it was a lot worse than we thought. I had to get inner and outer ligament surgery – well, reconstruction. So it’s big.”
Despite his injury, Pimblett secured a unanimous 29-28 scorecard which allowed him to extend his UFC winning streak to four fights. However, 24 media outlets who scored the fight predominantly disagreed with the official judges’ call, favoring Gordon. Pimblett vehemently defended the decision, expressing his bafflement at the notion of his win being considered a robbery. The fighter indicated that he might need at least six more weeks on crutches, having been on them for six weeks already, which raises doubts about the timeline of his return to the sport.
Pimblett’s victory in December saw several potential opponents vying for the opportunity to face the U.K. star, with some even suggesting a rematch with Gordon to quell the skeptics. At the media day for UFC Vegas 71, Gordon responded to the rematch calls, stating that it was evidence of him “living rent-free” in Pimblett’s head. With Pimblett’s recovery and return now uncertain, it remains to be seen how the situation unfolds.