UFC 282: Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon Preview, Odds, Prediction

Paddy Pimblett is the guy who fires up the UFC this day, and the Englishman will meet Jared Gordon this Saturday night. The two are lightweights with a solid background, but without notable success in the organization for the moment. Though, Pimblett is new here and is on the rise, while on the other side, Gordon didn’t meet the expectations since coming from the Cage Fury. Their matchup will be one of few that precede the main event of the night, the bout between Jan Blachowicz and Magomed Ankalaev.

Preview

Paddy Pimblett (19-3, -260) won the past three events in the UFC, that is, all three in this organization. He would previously be the featherweight champion of the Cage Warriors and title challenger in the lightweight division.

Right now, Paddy has five wins in a row, all of them via stoppage, and only the last one vs. Jordan Leavitt didn’t happen in the opening round. Since coming to the UFC, Paddy beat Luigi Vendramini, Rodrigo Vargas, and Leavitt, and with all due respect, those are not some notable names here.

Pimblett is a showman but a very agile and creative fighter inside the octagon. He has very good stand-up, but also, we’ve seen him taking down the rivals and finishing business on the ground. He is an all-around warrior, with six KO wins and nine submissions. Also, his cardio is solid, though, we need to say against the guys who aren’t the division’s elite. What we also want to mention is that Paddy cuts weight for the battle and immediately gains seven or eight pounds following the weigh-in.

Jared Gordon (19-5, +220) was the Cage Fury champion, but he didn’t do anything notable in the UFC. He often had problems with cutting weight, once in the featherweight (where he won the title in CF), and at some point, he decided to fight only in the lightweight division.

So far, he is 7-4 in the UFC, but we need to say that each time Gordon met with some top name, he was easily dispatched. All four defeats were via stoppage, with him losing three times after a KO, and once by submission.

He is a stubborn fighter without some notable qualities but with good cardio. The majority (11) of his wins were following a decision, two by submission and six via KO. Gordon has just one stoppage triumph in the UFC, which was on his debut against Michael Quinones. So overall, he is limited but physically solid fighter.

Prediction

Paddy is the star in the making and the UFC has been gentle with him so far. Gordon is a carefully picked opponent, the one that will present a challenge for Pimblett, but not the one that could devastate him or beat the Englishman. Many wouldn’t agree, but simply, Pimblett has become a valuable asset, and the organization is gradually leading him toward bigger challenges. We think that Gordon won’t be a problem for Pimblett, who will maybe go to distance with him, but overall, he will win, and we think without too much trouble.

Pick: Paddy Pimblett -260