Paddy Pimblett scored the biggest win of his mixed martial arts career at UFC 296, but he also left with his fair share of battle scars.
After suffering an ankle injury in his controversial win over Jared Gordon last December, ‘The Baddy’ returned for a clash with former interim lightweight world champion Tony Ferguson as part of the UFC’s final pay-per-view event of 2023.
Through three entertaining rounds, Pimblett dominated the action both on the feet and on the ground, handing ‘El Cucuy‘ his seventh straight loss inside the Octagon. Following the contest, Pimblett looked to be in relatively good spirits as he was sporting some standard-issue damage for a fistfight. However, the Liverpudlian later shared an image on social media of his surgically repaired ankle looking swollen like a balloon.
Paddy Pimblett's foot after UFC 296
#UFC296 pic.twitter.com/bGJEEL4Ocz
— UFC on TNT Sports (@ufcontnt) December 17, 2023
The injury is certainly a cause for concern after it took ‘The Paddy’ a full year to recover from the fracture he suffered at UFC 282.
The scouser earned some redemption for himself inside T-Mobile Arena, delivering a solid 15-minute performance against a fighter who is still undeniably dangerous despite a recent run of bad luck. With the victory, Pimblett moved to 5-0 inside the Octagon and is now riding a seven-fight win streak dating back to his days under the Cage Warriors banner.
Immediately following his seventh loss in a row, Tony Ferguson exited the Octagon without laying down his gloves or addressing his future in the sport. UFC 296 may very well have been the final time we see ‘El Cucuy’ step inside the Octagon, but it certainly doesn’t look that way.