What has Paddy Pimblett said about Jared Gordon ahead of their UFC 282 bout?

At UFC 282 media day, Paddy Pimblett had some words for his opponent Jared Gordon. 'The Baddy' will face 'Flash' in the co-main event of UFC 282: Blachowicz vs. Ankalaev.

The Liverpool native had some kind words for his American counterpart, saying that he really likes him as a person and respects Jared Gordon's journey battling addiction.

Watch Pimblett at media day below:

Upon being asked for his thoughts on Jared Gordon, Paddy Pimblett had the following to say:

"I really like Jared, you know what I mean? We've got a mutual respect for each other. I think he's an amazing human being. What he's come back [from] and been through throughout his life, he's turned his life around - he's such an inspirational and motivational person. Like, I've got the utmost respect for him, I really have. I think he's a very nice, genuine dude."

Pimblett then alluded to the previous day, when 'Flash' greeted Paddy Pimblett and embraced him, saying that Jared Gordon, like him, has got "very soft hands."

Watch Pimblett and Gordon meet below:

However, Pimblett does not seem worried about his upcoming opponent's skills in the octagon. He compared Jared Gordon to Jordan Leavitt - who Pimblett thinks is a better grappler than 'Flash' - and to Luigi Vendramini - who the Liverpudlian thinks is a better striker than Gordon.

Pimblett submitted his last opponent, Leavitt, and knocked out Vendramini, who was his UFC debut opponent. 'The Baddy' alluded to the fact that Jared Gordon made a reference to him being a quitter. The Liverpool superstar said the following in response:

"One thing that did piss me off was he said I'm a quitter. I've never quit. I've been choked unconscious and [I've] went five rounds, twice, against two steroid abusers - when I went to both of those fights injured, you know what I mean? He's the quitter. He tapped to a choke, recently, what wasn't even fully on. Like, that wasn't even a proper rear-naked choke, against an opponent who's absolutely dogs***t."

---

Paddy Pimblett teams up with boss against veteran journalist

Paddy Pimblett butted heads with Canadian veteran MMA journalist Ariel Helwani in November 2021 after the Liverpool superstar demanded payment from Helwani for appearing in his interview.

The basis of Pimblett's argument is the claim that Ariel Helwani makes a lot of money off of UFC Fighters and MMA, and that he should be paying fighters to appear in his interview. 'The Baddy' had Dana White on as a guest his podcast Chattin Pony, where Paddy Pimblett absolutely thrashed Ariel Helwani.

After Pimblett, Dana White took the opportunity to thrash Helwani, saying:

"He's one of the scummiest, slimiest motherf*****s that you will ever come across."

In response, Ariel Helwani took to his podcast, The MMA Hour, to say that 'The Baddy' was perpetrating lies about him, and that White was rooting for Helwani to fail in all his ventures.