Paddy Pimblett may be on the shelf until 2024.
The lightweight “Baddy” recently underwent ankle surgery to repair damage suffered in his unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon as part of the UFC 282 pay-per-view (PPV) event last December, leaving the outspoken scouser on crutches for the foreseeable future.
Turns out the damage was far more severe than he first suspected.
“I had to get surgery after my last fight,” Pimblett told Sky Sports (transcribed by MMA News). “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, like, but we crack on, we get through the fight. At the end of the fight, I remember going back to the medical room and being like, ‘My foot’s sore.’ Couldn’t get it looked at properly until I got home. Then, when the actual swelling went down, I didn’t know if I needed to get surgery. It was a lot worse than we thought. I had to get inner and outer-ligament surgery, like reconstruction, so, it’s big. Could be another six weeks [on crutches]. I’ve already been on them for six, six and a half. I’ll be lucky to fight this year.”
Pimblett, 28, remains unranked at 155 pounds.
“The Baddy” (20-3) jumped out to a 4-0 start inside the Octagon but faced heavy criticism for his performance against Gordon, which may have been wrongly scored by the cageside judges. Whether or not matchmakers (or fans) will still be interested in a potential rematch by the time Pimblett returns to action remains to be seen.