UFC 2022 Review: Paddy Pimblett ends the year with beefs with UFC stars and fans

Since debuting for the UFC in 2021, Paddy Pimblett has quickly become one of the most talked about names on the mixed martial arts circuit. Many thought that the Englishman would go on to become a global superstar like Conor McGregor.

However, the once-beloved fighter has now put himself in hot waters with fans and fellow fighters, ending the year on a rather sour note. The Scouser first lured the ire of fans when he called out veteran journalist Ariel Helwani for not paying fighters for interviews. The Englishman's beef with Helwani reportedly began after the journalist refused to pay the fighter a fee to appear for an interview.

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During an episode of his Chattin Pony podcast, the 27-year-old called the MMA reporter a "rodent" who profits off fighters.

Watch Paddy Pimblett and Dana White criticize Ariel Helwani below:

In a subsequent episode of The MMA Hour podcast, Ariel Helwani fired back at the UFC fighter, saying that his paychecks come from a contractual agreement with the media outlet his show is hosted on rather than the buzz his videos generated.

Many fans and fighters criticized 'The Baddy' for his rant against the veteran journalist.

The 27-year-old's standing with MMA fandom further worsened when he was granted what many thought to be "an undeserved" win against Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

Many fans and pundits opined that 'Flash' was robbed of a much-deserved win against the Scouser. However, in numerous interviews since the fight, 'The Baddy' doubled down, saying that he clearly won the match-up and rubbished the claims that Gordon deserved to win.

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Paddy Pimblett vs. Jared Gordon stats

Many in the MMA community saw Paddy Pimblett's unanimous decision win against Jared Gordon as a blatant robbery. Let's take a look at the official fight stats to see just how close the matchup really was, if at all.

Pimblett enjoyed a slight edge in terms of significant strikes over the three rounds, inflicting 63 against 'Flash's 60. However, Gordon clearly outclassed the Scoucer in grappling exchanges.

The American netted a total of 6 minutes and 28 seconds of control time over the three rounds. He also scored three takedowns during the fight, while 'The Baddy' failed to score even one. However, the final scorecards reflected a 29-28 unanimous decision win for the 27-year-old.

In the aftermath of the controversial unanimous win, Paddy Pimblett justified the result by claiming that he had dealt the most damage during the fight, while Gordon took to Twitter claiming that everyone knew that he was the real victor.