Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker recently remarked that the constant doubts surrounding Paddy Pimblett might have been the catalyst for his transformation into a better fighter. “The Baddy” delivered probably the most impressive performance of his UFC career so far this past weekend. He decisively defeated King Green with a stunning triangle-armbar combination in […]
Former UFC middleweight champion Robert Whittaker recently remarked that the constant doubts surrounding Paddy Pimblett might have been the catalyst for his transformation into a better fighter.
Although Green had a size advantage over Pimblett, he found it challenging to connect his combinations effectively at the beginning of the fight. Meanwhile, Pimblett focused on landing powerful calf kicks. This strategy seemed to unsettle the American, who attempted a takedown midway through the round. The 29-year-old Scouser expertly countered with a guillotine choke before swiftly transitioning into a triangle choke from the bottom.
Pimblett seamlessly adjusted to Green’s escape attempts, tightening the submission hold with each passing second. He smoothly transitioned the choke into an armbar, and as Green lost consciousness, the referee stepped in to halt the fight at 3:22.
Despite his six-fight undefeated streak in the Octagon, Pimblett remains a frequent target of online criticism. However, “The Reaper” believes this persistent skepticism has fueled Pimblett’s evolution…
Whittaker Believes Pimblett Is More Tuned In
During a recent episode of his MMArcade Podcast, Whittaker shared his insights on “The Baddy’s” performance at UFC 304.
The Aussie remarked that Pimblett has shown significant evolution since his previous bouts, displaying an impressive level of focus and grit to secure the victory.
“I think that falling from grace he had just, you know, lit a fire up his a**,” Whittaker said. “He’s just got so much better for it. I feel like he’s more focused, he’s more switched on than we’ve seen before. And that was the Paddy I wanted to see because that was the one we saw against [Tony] Ferguson. Like, that level of determination, that level of focus, you know, that ability to stay on task, and mate, that’s exactly what happened.
“Paddy saw an opportunity when Bobby was waiting for a takedown and had the guts and the confidence to go for the submission attempts. That’s half the work — the confidence to go for your submission attempts and to believe in them. And he did that, yeah, and he stopped a guy that doesn’t get stopped often.”
The Englishman then issued a challenge to Renato Moicano, proposing a showdown later this year or early next year, contingent on the Brazilian overcoming Benoît Saint Denis in their upcoming September bout.
UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley looks to be extremely high on Paddy Pimblett’s lightweight title chances following this past weekend. Pimblett was among the most prominent names in action at the UFC 304 pay-per-view, which took place in front of his home crowd at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England. Off the back of […]
UFC Bantamweight Champion Sean O’Malley looks to be extremely high on Paddy Pimblett’s lightweight title chances following this past weekend.
Pimblett was among the most prominent names in action at the UFC 304 pay-per-view, which took place in front of his home crowd at the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England.
Off the back of decision wins over Jared Gordon and Tony Ferguson, and amid plenty of doubt regarding his ability to compete with the best at 155 pounds, “The Baddy” had his first shot at cracking the rankings opposite King Green.
The result impressed most and has left Pimblett closer to his goal of touching gold on MMA’s biggest stage. And while that target remains a considerable distance and plenty of major victories away, O’Malley isn’t writing the Liverpool native off…
“Sugar” appeared impressed when Pimblett choked Green out cold, and he proved as much by suggesting that the Brit’s improvements could pave the way for a possible title crowning down the line.
“Paddy is f*cking focused, ready to go. Got two kids now. He does have skills, he does have f*cking good skills,” O’Malley said. “He’s out! He put him to sleep! Paddy just put Bobby to sleep! … That was f*cking beautiful. Damn, he’s still sleeping.
“That was sick, bro. Good for him. He answered a lot of questions,” O’Malley continued. “I guess I don’t know how good Bobby’s jiu-jitsu is. I’ve always thought of him as a f*cking brawler, but for Paddy to do that to a guy like Bobby Green is huge. It’s a massive win. … Paddy called out Renato Moicano. … Paddy could definitely be — I mean, if he wins the right fights, he could be champ.”
For now, Pimblett will be keeping a close eye on Tuesday’s rankings update before turning his attention to the upcoming Paris showdown between Moicano and Benoît Saint Denis on September 28.
Paddy Pimblett spoke out on his viral bus shouting match with UFC up-and-comer Caolán Loughran during UFC 304 fight…
Paddy Pimblett spoke out on his viral bus shouting match with UFC up-and-comer Caolán Loughran during UFC 304 fight week.
Pimblett defeated UFC lightweight veteran King Green on the UFC 304 main card on Saturday in Manchester. He extended his ongoing win streak and remains unbeaten in his UFC tenure following the victory over Green.
After a back-and-forth first few minutes of the bout, Pimblett slept Green in an arm-triangle choke to secure his sixth UFC victory. He signed with the promotion in 2021 and has become one of the top stars in the lightweight division.
Ahead of his UFC 304 showcase, video footage spread online of Pimblett getting into a heated back-and-forth with Loughran en route to the UFC 304 ceremonial weigh-in. While the incident never turned physical, the two shared a heated war of words that went viral.
Paddy Pimblett and Caolan Loughran trade barbs on the fighter bus.
“He just stood up and started chatting s***,” Pimblett said. “I was sitting at the back of the bus speaking to someone and I just said ‘Oh, Jordan Vucenic’s been signed? Another Cage Warriors fighter?’. He’s very good…it’s funny how Jordan Vucenic and Morgan Charriere have been signed and Paul Hughes is fighting in the PFL in the B-Leagues…
“He stood up and went ‘Paul Hughes would smoke you!’. Lad, who are you talking to?” Pimblett continued. “People made a big deal out of that like I was trying to bully him. He started it. If you’re gonna start something with me, be prepared to finish it, because I’ll put you in your place, it’s as simple as that. Talking s*** about my teammates last week, so I’m gonna put him in his place and that’s what I did. It’s one of those people trying to start s*** with me for a little publicity.”
As of this writing, Loughran hasn’t provided further comment on the incident with Pimblett. He lost to Jake Hadley by unanimous decision at UFC 304.
Pimblett has earned recent wins over Tony Ferguson, Jared Gordon, and Jordan Leavitt in the UFC. He’ll likely enter the lightweight Top 15 this week following the victory over Green.
Pimblett and PFL star Paul Hughes have gone back and forth on social media for months. His comments about Hughes seemed to be the main catalyst for the verbal altercation with Loughran.
After UFC 304, there’s no love between Pimblett, Hughes and Loughran. Despite their similar career paths, Pimblett holds no respect for two of his former Cage Warriors colleagues.
On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 304. For the past week, the promotion has been back in the United Kingdom. Why, then, was I still stating up until 7 AM, UFC? Dana White? Anybody? Pre-warning, I planned to do my best not to selfishly write that […]
On Saturday night, the mixed martial arts leader returned for its latest pay-per-view event, UFC 304.
For the past week, the promotion has been back in the United Kingdom. Why, then, was I still stating up until 7 AM, UFC? Dana White? Anybody? Pre-warning, I planned to do my best not to selfishly write that as a negative for my fellow Brits and I. Was I successful? No comment.
Regardless of the disappointing timings, nothing was disappointing about the lineup the UFC brought with it across the pond, topped by title defenses for welterweight kingpin Leon Edwards and interim heavyweight titleholder Tom Aspinall.
Before Belal Muhammad and Curtis Blaydes looked to bring shouts of ‘and new’ to the Octagon, Paddy Pimblett had his first opportunity at cracking the lightweight rankings against King Green, Arnold Allen attempted to snap his losing skid at the expense of Giga Chikadze, and Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape vied for potential number one contender status at 125 pounds.
Elsewhere, notable British names like Christian Leroy Duncan, Molly McCann, Nathaniel Wood, and Mick Parkin all looked to leave Manchester’s Co-op Live arena with victories. But did they come together to form an entertaining night of fights?
Let’s find out with all the positives and negatives from UFC 304.
I can’t remember the last time a fight at a UFC PPV event pitted two opponents against one another who quite clearly aren’t up to the standard that should be required for someone to compete on the sport’s biggest stage.
Excuse me, I should have said “couldn’t remember,” past tense. I now can remember: Shauna Bannon vs Alice Ardelean.
The Irishwoman arrived in the UFC as a promising prospect last year off the back of a win under the Invicta FC banner. But she flopped on debut, struggling to land any meaningful offense in a decision defeat to Bruna Brasil. Saturday’s opening bout gave her the opportunity to erase the memory of that result with a strong sophomore performance. In that sense, she didn’t exactly succeed.
“Mama B” was tasked with facing a late-notice replacement opponent in Ardelean. The Romanian’s signing raised eyebrows, with most acknowledging her fairly underwhelming record and skillset while suggesting a social media following was the leading cause of her UFC arrival.
The fight was ultimately a close one with about as much quality as the kind of food the fans inside the Co-op Live would have picked up from Manchester kebab shops in the early hours.
Ardelean is certainly not at the level the UFC should require. And given her struggles en route to a lackluster decision win, it’s hard to say that Bannon is.
With an 11 PM start time, the last thing the UK fans needed was a dud to start.
When these two entered the cage, it was perhaps still too early for an in-cage alarm to be required. But Parkin, in particular, sent one ringing around Manchester with a thunderous…forearm?!
Regular readers will know my feeling on the heavyweight division (and the UFC’s habit of placing the likes of Shamil Gaziev in main event spots this year). With that, it’s always a relief to see them early on a card. The home favorite on Saturday night, however, brought feelings of relief for a different reason.
Rather than the feared three-round heavyweight slog, Parkin needed less than four minutes to dispatch ?ukasz Brzeski for UFC 304’s first finish. The damage was initially done by a clean overhand right that had “The Bull” on skates. While he survived the onslaught that followed for a time, his panicky evasive manoeuvers ultimately saw his head meet the forearm of Parkin, who had thrown a left hook.
Patterson subsequently gave us the triad of fight results, following Bannon’s decision and Parkin’s knockout with a submission victory over Kiefer Crosbie. Like his compatriot’s work beforehand, “The Future” needed just one round to have his hand raised, locking his Irish opponent in an arm-triangle choke for the quick tap.
The Englishman was highly touted prior to a disappointing debut in London last year. But having now won consecutive fights via first-round submissions, Patterson is well and truly back on the radar as one of the welterweight division’s most promising up-and-comers.
Negative – Wolf Tickets
To those who bought into Muhammad Mokaev and Manel Kape’s “bitter feud” and expected them to do away with their habit of putting on dull affairs at UFC 304, I’m afraid to say you were conned.
It took just a minute into the fight to see what was happening. After a hotel “brawl,” some “hold me back” energy at the ceremonial weigh-ins, and the apparent attempt to get at each other in the cage pre-fight, Mokaev and Kape stayed at range feinting.
The rest of the fight was predictable from there. And while some have turned their nose up at the scorecards, the rounds were so lackluster and absent of effective offense that I’m not sure there could be any logical fury over whatever the judges were to come out with.
But, we did have a real reason for fury in round two: Mike Beltran.
After getting Kape to the mat for the first time in round two, Mokaev displayed some of the most egregious cheating in recent memory by yanking “Starboy’s” shorts down and giving the cageside guests a view of his backside.
To not take a point is frankly diabolical. Congratulations, Mike, you can shout loud. Would you like a certificate? Why not do something actual consequential and take a point for such a blatant foul?
Not only was no point taken, Beltran wasn’t even going to pause the fight and take the position away from Mokaev until Kape practically spelled it out to him.
Whether it’s eye pokes, fence grabs, or de-clothing your foe, rules do not exist in mixed martial arts. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, why wouldn’t you cheat when such incompetence comes out of the third men inside the Octagon?
Positive – Bruna’s Brutal Body Blows
It was always going to take something special to write a Molly McCann loss in the positive section, but Bruna Brasil gave it to us on Saturday night. In fact, she gave it to us multiple times.
So, what was special, I hear you ask? Bruna’s body shots, that’s what.
The focus pre-fight was all on McCann and how she appeared to have reinvented herself as a strawweight when she submitted Diana Belbi?? in her divisional debut this past February. Because of that, an accomplished striker in Brasil was a ridiculously big underdog given the holes we’ve seen in “Meatball’s” game.
But the Brazilian made a mockery of the betting lines in a round one that verged on a 10-8. “The Special One” delivered a relentless attack to the home fighter’s body, drawing out major reactions with a few vicious knees and kicks to the midsection.
While she found less success in rounds two and three en route to a comfortable decision, Brasil’s violent assault of McCann’s body early was enough to leave a lasting impression. And with two wins on UK soil under the UFC banner, perhaps England is her good luck charm.
Just as the early hours began to take their toll and the crowd inside the Co-op Live faded, Paddy Pimblett arrived to wake them up.
It’s been a difficult period for “The Baddy,” who has had his momentum stalled by injuries and a controversial win over Jared Gordon back in late 2022. His subsequent performance against Tony Ferguson did little to stifle his detractors given “El Cucuy’s” age and losing skid.
With that, Pimblett vowed to get the fans back on his side by running through King (still feels odd to write) Green at UFC 304 — a claim not many took seriously. While a win was never going to be a massive shock, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone predicting one-way traffic and a quick finish.
But that is exactly what we got in Manchester, with a composed Pimblett picking Green apart on the feet in the opening exchanges before punishing the American’s bizarre decision to shoot for a takedown.
After Green slipped out of a guillotine, Pimblett locked in a tight triangle choke, adding in an armbar to the equation just as the ranked contender lost consciousness, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
If Pimblett’s three UFC fights in the UK have taught us anything, it’s that he can always be counted on to create an atmosphere. And his latest triumph has certainly taught his doubters that they were wrong to dismiss his chances of earning a number next to his name on MMA’s biggest stage.
If it wasn’t already clear after he starched Sergei Pavlovich in 69 seconds last November to win the “interim” gold, it sure is now after he stopped Curtis Blaydes in just 60. Aspinall’s first clean shot sat “Razor” down, and the American wasn’t unable to show enough defense on the floor to avoid Marc Goddard’s intervention.
With the win, Aspinall not only defended his title but also made the most of his chance to right the wrong from 2022 when a freak knee injury opposite Blaydes handed him his only Octagon setback to date.
So, what’s next for Aspinall? Well, if it’s not a unification fight with Jones, both the former two-time light heavyweight kingpin and the UFC should get significant backlash from the community.
And if Jones does indeed fight Stipe Miocic in a “legacy fight” that will do nothing for his legacy before retiring, his deliberate avoidance of Aspinall will mark a sizable stain on the back end of his career.
Fight the man, Jones.
Negative – Silly
I hate to conclude things with a complaint, but seriously, what was the UFC thinking?
At my desk, I was struggling to stay awake for a hefty chunk of the UFC 304 main card. I can’t even imagine feeling like that while in attendance at the Co-op Live, and it’s no wonder the atmosphere was absent for much of it.
Of course, Paddy Pimblett’s entrance and the memorable wins for him and Tom Aspinall brought out the kind of cheers and reaction expected of a UK crowd. But just before that, Christian Leroy Duncan and Gregory Rodrigues fought out an entertaining and bloody battle amid complete silence.
Post-event, Dana White had the nerve to criticize fighters for not being motivated by the $100,000 bonuses, stating he’ll never raise them under pressure at press conferences ever again. How about never making athletes compete at 3, 4, and 5 AM again? Maybe that had something to do with it?
The likes of Edwards had to compete in the early hours because the idea of American fans watching an event at 4 PM instead of 10 PM was apparently too crazy to entertain. Do better, UFC.
What this guy said
Whose dumb idea was it to have a UFC card at 4 AM in England? Why couldn't they have just pushed this main card up to 7 PM EST United States time? No wonder the crowd is exhausted #UFC304
There can be no question that Paddy Pimblett is legit now, as he will have a ranking next to his name after his win over King Green (formerly Bobby Green) at UFC 304. Green looked to use the leg kicks and set things up early, but he found himself unable to establish the jab. In […]
There can be no question that Paddy Pimblett is legit now, as he will have a ranking next to his name after his win over King Green (formerly Bobby Green) at UFC 304.
Green looked to use the leg kicks and set things up early, but he found himself unable to establish the jab.
In a move that baffled people late in the first round, Green shot in for a takedown. Pimblett easily countered it and looked for a guillotine before transitioning into a triangle choke. Pimblett sunk in the triangle in tight, and as he looked to turn it into a triangle armbar, it could be seen that Green was out cold, forcing the referee to stop the fight.
Following the fight, Pimblett used the opportunity to call out Renato Moicano.
Paddy Pimblett Makes Emphatic Statement With Easy First-Round Submission Of King Green At UFC 304
Damn. That was impressive! One mistake is all it takes. #UFC304
Pimblett has now won eight straight and is a perfect 6-0 in the UFC. His win streak also includes names such as Tony Ferguson, Jared Gordon and Jordan Leavitt.
Green has now lost two of his last three, though he has still won three of his last six.
After dispatching his first five opponents inside the Octagon, Paddy Pimblett looked to punch his ticket to the lightweight…
After dispatching his first five opponents inside the Octagon, Paddy Pimblett looked to punch his ticket to the lightweight top 15 with a win over division staple King Green at UFC 304 in Manchester.
The first couple minutes of their scrap saw Pimblett pepper his opponent with a series of well-timed calf kicks. Unable to find his way inside, Green opted to shoot it on one of the low leg attacks, but immediately found himself fighting off an early guillotine choke attempt.
Green escaped, but immediately put himself in another compromising position, allowing Pimblett to lock in a triangle choke. Cinching it in, Green inevitably went unconscious, forcing the referee to step in and call for the stoppage just past the three-minute mark of the first round.
Official Result: Paddy Pimblett def. King Green via submission (triangle choke) at 3:22 of Round 1.
Check Out Highlights From Paddy Pimblett vs. King Green at UFC 304:
#UFC304
Paddy Pimblett spoke out on his viral bus shouting match with UFC up-and-comer Caolán Loughran during UFC 304 fight…
via Lee Hammond’s IG page. 
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After dispatching his first five opponents inside the Octagon, Paddy Pimblett looked to punch his ticket to the lightweight…
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: UFC 304
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