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MMA legend Michael Bisping has chimed in on Paddy Pimblett's purported 'heel turn.' This comes after several MMA fans have accused Pimblett of having transformed from a hero to a heel/villain.
On his Chattin Pony podcast, Paddy Pimblett recently hosted UFC president Dana White and lambasted White's longtime critic, MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. It surprised many, as Helwani has long been Pimblett's ardent supporter.
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The second factor in play is the controversial unanimous decision victory that Paddy Pimblett subsequently secured against Jared Gordon in their lightweight bout at UFC 282. The consensus is that Gordon out-struck and out-grappled Pimblett and was robbed of the win.
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Regardless, during his post-fight octagon interview with Joe Rogan, Pimblett claimed that their fight wasn't close. Taking to his YouTube channel, Michael Bisping addressed the situation and said:
"What happened with Paddy? He said that fight wasn't even close. He tried bringing up the Ariel situation with Joe Rogan straight away on the microphone. And I see now on social media, there's been a bit of a turn, with a lot of people talking cr**. He'll get past that if he plays it right."
Furthermore, Michael Bisping revisited his split decision victory against Matt Hamill in 2007, which many believed should've been awarded to Hamill. Bisping recalled that akin to Pimblett, he discredited Hamill's performance despite it being a closely-contested fight:
"It's kind of a similar situation. I think if he handles it well and, going forward, learns from this, then it will be okay. Somebody said, 'Oh, he's gone heel.' He hasn't gone heel. What I did wasn't being a heel. I was just being a d**k. What Paddy did is not being a heel. He's just like, getting on people's nerves."
Watch Bisping's assessment below:
Paddy Pimblett gives his honest opinion on the UFC 282 fight
Paddy Pimblett revealed that he injured his leg and hand at UFC 282 and hasn't gotten an MRI yet. It's unclear when he'll return. Moreover, Pimblett hasn't agreed to Jared Gordon's call for a rematch. However, he did laud his American opponent for being a "tough cookie."
In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Paddy Pimblett highlighted that he likes Jared Gordon and didn't expect 'Flash' to take as many shots off him as he did. Moreover, expounding upon his bittersweet UFC 282 matchup, the UK native stated:
"I'm a little bit disappointed in me performance, but at the same time, I'm not. Because I went fifteen minutes, it's the first time I went fifteen minutes in the UFC and against someone who I know has the cardio to go fifteen hard minutes."
Watch Pimblett discuss the topic in the video below:
