Paddy pimblett ufc debut ko9/17/2023 ![]() ![]() It took a while for the fighting friends to be separated but then Paddy the Baddy was at his motormouth best. He was soon back in the cage and being hugged by a jubilant McCann. Paddy Pimblett and Molly McCann celebrate with their coaches Paul Rimmer (left) and Adam Ventre (right) after Pimblett’s win. There was a roar as Pimblett broke sufficiently free so that he could gain enough leverage to rise to his feet – and they continued grappling in upright positions. Slowly, inexorably, Pimblett began to wrest back control. ![]() There was still a sense of jeopardy and a hush fell across the arena as a transfixed crowd waited to see if Pimblett could escape the tightening grip of Vargas. He had also spent weeks in training camp working on his grappling and had flown in a leading American wrestler, Chasen Blair, at his own expense to develop his skillset. Pimblett’s explosive striking had sealed a first-round victory on his UFC debut in Las Vegas in September but, throughout his MMA career, his submission work on the ground has been exceptional. ![]() After 18 seconds of the contest Vargas had taken Pimblett down and pinned him to the canvas as the Mexican drew on his upper-body strength and jiu-jitsu skills. Vargas started with intent and a hard right hand rocked Pimblett. Rather than acknowledging the crowd Pimblett looked suddenly concentrated as he stared back at the Mexican who had promised to teach him a harsh lesson. The switch in Pimblett’s cheerful mood came only a minute before the cage door shut when he was introduced. Vargas, his imposing opponent from Mexico, glowered menacingly but the 27-year-old from a council estate in Huyton kept grinning. His floppy blond mop-top, goofy grin and pale lightweight frame, devoid of a single tattoo, means that Pimblett looks so unlike a traditional UFC fighter. In only his second UFC contest, Pimblett received an ecstatic reception as he strutted to the octagon. ![]() There was no doubt, however, that this was the Paddy and Molly Show as the two highly distinctive fighters from Liverpool lived up to their pre-fight hype. Paddy Pimblett dances to celebrate his first-round submission victory over Rodrigo Vargas White was so caught up in the fevered atmosphere that he made the unprecedented decision to award a $50,000 bonus to the winner of every one of the nine bouts which ended in a stoppage – rather than rewarding just one fighter on the night. There were seven British winners on the night, including another impressive first-round stoppage for the heavyweight Tom Aspinall, and the UFC president, Dana White, described it afterwards as the most enjoyable promotion in the history of his organisation. His great friend, and “big sister” from Liverpool, “Meatball” Molly McCann, had already produced an even more remarkable finish with a stunning third-round knockout which lit up the 0 2 Arena in London on a transformative night for the garrulous scouse duo and British MMA. A few minutes earlier he had secured a victory, when forcing Rodrigo Vargas to submit, which fulfilled his prediction of a first-round stoppage. “A re you not entertained?” Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett shouted deep inside a roaring Saturday night scouse house party which dominated the UFC’s first promotion in Europe in three years. ![]()
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