Both Pimblett’s & Gordon’s managers say they have yet to sign off on any bout agreement for their fighters, but that hasn’t stopped Dana White from announcing the new booking in a recent media appearance.
Following his violent knockout debut UFC victory, Paddy Pimblett’s next opponent has been the target of regular speculation. Some were even suggesting that the much hyped former Cage Warriors featherweight champ might face former lightweight title contender Donald Cerrone. A rumor Pimblett himself later refuted.
Instead, however, it seems as though Jared Gordon may have made the strongest case for himself to face the Liverpudlian—with a post-fight call-out following his victory over Joe Solecki at UFC Fight Night: Santos vs. Walker.
“Nothing malicious, I like the guy,” Gordon said of his interest in the fight. “But, I beat his teammate Chris Fishgold and he wanted to get that one back, so come and get it.”
And if that’s Gordon’s wish, he just might get it. UFC President Dana White recently sat down for an interview with Barstool sports, where he revealed that “Jared Gordon is probably going to [be Pimblett’s next opponent].”
“I certainly hope he does,” White added, when asked if Gordon knew about the planned booking.
For his part, Gordon retweeted a clip of the interview, adding that “My grandparents were born and raised in London. I’d love to fight in the motherland.”
Unfortunately, whatever Gordon’s interest – and White’s priorities – it doesn’t sound like anything has been set in stone. Shortly after White’s interview dropped, Pimblett’s manager dipped into the Twitter comments to make it clear that they’re still weighing their options.
we haven’t agreed this and still discussing opponents.
— Graham Boylan ?? (@GrahamBoylan) January 18, 2022
And to make matters hazier, Gordon’s manager chimed in as well, just to say that they hadn’t heard a peep from the UFC as of yet.
We have heard nothing on our end. @JFlashGordonMMA
— Brian Butler-Au (@BrianButler_Au) January 18, 2022
With a headlining bout for their March 19th event still unannounced (or, for that matter, even an official location) it seems there’s still a lot of work to be done to iron out all the details. In the meantime, assuming everything moves forward as intended, Pimblett’s teammates Tom Aspinall and Molly McCann have also been tabbed for the undercard.