Paddy Pimblett Record: 23-4-0

UFC arrival and a star is born

Pimblett made an instant splash on debut in September 2021, weathering early trouble before knocking out Luigi Vendramini with a first-round flurry. He kept the momentum rolling in 2022, submitting Rodrigo Vargas with a first-round rear-naked choke and then tapping fellow grappler Jordan Leavitt in the second. A controversial but unanimous decision over Jared Gordon at UFC 282 closed the year and kept his unbeaten UFC run intact, even as critics questioned the scoring.

Climbing the lightweight ladder

The level of opposition rose, and Pimblett rose with it. In December 2023 he outpointed former interim title challenger Tony Ferguson over three rounds at UFC 296, then submitted veteran King Green with a first-round triangle choke at UFC 304 in 2024. His breakout statement came at UFC 314 in April 2025, when he stopped former Bellator champion Michael Chandler with strikes in the third round, a win that vaulted him into the title conversation. The reality check arrived in January 2026: headlining UFC 324 against Justin Gaethje, Pimblett dropped a five-round unanimous decision, the first decisive defeat of his UFC tenure and a measuring stick against the division’s elite.

Fighting style

Pimblett is a submission-first fighter whose game is built on world-class jiu-jitsu, and 10 of his 23 wins have come by tap-out alongside seven knockouts. He thrives in scrambles, hunts the back relentlessly, and has shown the durability to absorb early damage before turning a fight in his favor. His striking has grown more dangerous, as the Vendramini and Chandler finishes proved, but his cardio and grappling remain the spine of his success. The Gaethje loss exposed the gap between a rising star and a proven killer at the top of lightweight, the challenge that now defines his next chapter.

Career highlights

• Cage Warriors featherweight champion — captured the title in 2016 on home soil in Liverpool, cementing his status as one of Britain’s top prospects.
• UFC 314 finish of Michael Chandler — a third-round TKO of a former Bellator champion that pushed him into the lightweight title picture.
• Elite submission game — 10 career wins by submission, including a triangle choke of King Green, who had gone roughly 15 years without being tapped.