Paddy Pimblett: from Cage Warriors champion to UFC headliner | Ultimate Fighter Reunion

Why fans still care

PADDY PIMBLETT is one of the UFC’s biggest British draws. He talks big, he backs it with submissions, and he has done it all from the same Liverpool gym with the same coach since he was 15.

He also used his biggest night in London to tell men to talk about how they feel, and he has kept saying it since.

Early life

He was born on 3 January 1995 and grew up in Liverpool, where he has trained his whole career. He walked into Next Generation MMA on 20 January 2010, aged 15, trained full time from 16 and won his first amateur fight at 16. His favourite fighter, he told UFC.com, was Antônio Rodrigo “Minotauro” Nogueira.

Getting started

He made his professional debut on 16 October 2012 at OMMAC 15, stopping Nathan Thompson. His first loss came a year later at Cage Warriors 60, when Cameron Else caught him in an anaconda choke 35 seconds in. On 28 March 2015 at the Macron Stadium in Manchester he was knocked down early in the second round by Kevin Petshi, came back, took the back and choked him out to win the vacant FCC featherweight title.

Career chapters

1. 2010Starts at Next Generation MMA, aged 15
2. 2012Turns professional
3. 2015Wins the FCC featherweight title
4. 2016Wins the Cage Warriors featherweight title in Liverpool
5. 2021UFC debut, a first-round knockout in Las Vegas
6. 2022Submits Jordan Leavitt in London and speaks out on men’s mental health
7. 2025Stops Michael Chandler at UFC 314
8. 2026Headlines UFC 324 against Justin Gaethje, then submits Benoît Saint Denis in 52 seconds

Cage Warriors 2016 to 2021

On 10 September 2016 at the Echo Arena in Liverpool he stopped Johnny Frachey in the first round to win the vacant Cage Warriors featherweight title. He defended it against Julian Erosa in November, then lost it to Nad Narimani on a unanimous decision in April 2017. Moving up to lightweight, he lost a five-round decision to Søren Bak for the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title in September 2018. He came back with wins over Decky Dalton in 2020 and Davide Martinez in 2021.

Into the UFC 2021 to 2023

He made his UFC debut on 4 September 2021 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas against Luigi Vendramini. He was rocked early, then landed an overhand right and a flying knee and finished it at 4:25 of the first round. “I’m a scouser, we don’t get knocked out,” he said. At the O2 Arena in London he choked out Rodrigo Vargas in March 2022, and in July he submitted Jordan Leavitt in the second round. In December 2022 at UFC 282 he won a unanimous decision over Jared Gordon. The decision was disputed: Sherdog counted 23 of 24 media scorecards for Gordon. He hurt his right ankle that night and had surgery in March 2023. In December 2023 at UFC 296 he dropped Tony Ferguson in the first round and won 30-27 on all three cards.

Contender 2024 to 2026

On 27 July 2024 at Co-op Live in Manchester he caught King Green’s takedown in a guillotine, rolled it into a triangle and won at 3:22 of the first round, with a $200,000 double bonus. On 12 April 2025 at UFC 314 in Miami he beat Michael Chandler. He led 53 to 9 on significant strikes after two rounds, split Chandler’s cheek with a knee in the third and finished him from mount at 3:07.

On 24 January 2026 he headlined UFC 324 at the T-Mobile Arena against Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title. Gaethje pressed him on the fence and landed the heavier shots, and Pimblett was knocked down several times but came back late. He lost a unanimous decision, his first UFC loss, and the fight won Fight of the Night. Six months later at UFC 329 he caught Benoît Saint Denis’s takedown in a guillotine, moved to a d’arce choke and won in 52 seconds.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fights

He fights orthodox but switches stance, and he is a grappler first: 11 of his 24 wins are submissions. He likes to catch opponents as they shoot, turning a guillotine into a triangle or a d’arce, and he takes the back for the rear-naked choke. Sherdog notes that flying attacks are “not uncommon” for him, including a flying triangle armbar against Alexis Savvidis at Cage Warriors 90 in 2018. He also lands knees, from the flying knee on Vendramini to the knee that cut Chandler. He has never lost by strikes.

Teams and gyms

He has trained at Next Generation MMA in Liverpool since 2010, with the same coaches and teammates throughout. Head coach Paul Rimmer has worked every one of his corners. Pimblett calls him “Uncle Rimmer” and “more like our second dad than our coach”. Former fighters Adam Ventre and Ellis Hampson coach and corner there, and Molly McCann trains at the gym.

Stories people still tell

1. Talk to someone.

   After the Leavitt win in London in 2022 he told the crowd a friend had taken his own life before the weigh-in, and urged men to talk. “Let’s get rid of this stigma and men start talking,” he said. He launched The Baddy Foundation that year to tackle the stigma around men’s mental health.

2. Second dad.

   Before UFC 304 Rimmer nearly pulled him from the card because of what he was going through. Pimblett was upset at first, and later called Rimmer “like my second dad”.

3. The call-outs.

   After the Saint Denis win he named Max Holloway, Who’s Who number 3, Conor McGregor and Ilia Topuria as possible next opponents.

Legacy

He is still fighting, ranked number 5 at lightweight. He went from a Liverpool gym at 15 to a UFC main event against Gaethje, and has six Performance of the Night bonuses along the way. Dana White said after UFC 314 that he keeps looking better every time he shows up.