Danis’s proposition for his UFC debut is not just a simple fight; he envisions a grand spectacle. He suggests that both he and Pimblett could serve as coaches on the reality TV series “The Ultimate Fighter,” culminating in a fight between them at the show’s conclusion.

“My UFC debut against Paddy Pimblett would be quite the show, the buildup alone would be electric!” Danis tweeted, highlighting his desire to rejuvenate the entertainment aspect of fighting​​.

However, Pimblett’s reaction to Danis’s previous challenges paints a less optimistic picture for this potential matchup. When Danis proposed a grappling match with a significant monetary stake, Pimblett responded dismissively, questioning Danis’s financial capabilities and expressing disinterest in a grappling contest. Pimblett’s retort was characteristically blunt and colorful, indicating a lack of interest in engaging with Danis’s challenges​​​​.

Currently, Pimblett’s focus is on his upcoming fight against Tony Ferguson at UFC 296. This bout is a significant step for Pimblett in his UFC career, and it’s clear that any potential matchup with Danis would be a consideration for the future, if at all​​.

Despite the intriguing nature of Danis’s proposal and his desire to enter the UFC, the likelihood of this fight materializing remains uncertain. Danis’s career has been stalled due to injuries and inactivity in MMA, and it’s unclear whether the UFC would entertain his entry, especially for a high-profile fight against a rising star like Pimblett. The dynamics between the two fighters, their current career trajectories, and the UFC’s plans will all be crucial factors in determining whether this potential bout ever moves beyond the realm of social media speculation.

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Where Paddy The Baddy is a widely known fighter, Jared Gordon (19-5; 7-4 in the UFC) is quite mundane in tone and, thus, relatively unknown among even semi-diehards. While this can be related to his personality and in-octagon style, he is by no means an easy test, given he is a hard-nosed, veteran-style fighter who is still in his fight prime. This style of “fighting like a veteran” provides a difficult test for Paddy The Baddy and a test that should make for a highly entertaining affair for all fight fans!

Betting Odds

Paddy Pimblett is a -250 favorite over Jared Gordon, which is an implied 71% win probability.

• Paddy Pimblett: -250
• Jared Gordon: +210

Fight Prediction

Paddy Pimblett is a wild man in the octagon. He treats bouts as fights, fully willing to throw hay-making punches early in the fight to end it as quickly as possible that just so happens to be extremely fan-friendly. This style of being a wild man on his feet plays seamlessly into what he truly does best, which is, submissions – 9 of his 19 professional wins have come via submission and 3 of his last 4 fights came by submission, all of which by way of the rear-naked choke. What makes Pimblett somewhat interesting is that while many submission-based fighters who throw with wild-like intent on the feet do so because they are perfectly happy getting taken down but for Paddy, throwing wild punches helps him get in close, clinch against the cage, and from that position, find a way to sink hooks in and snag the neck. While this style has proved effective, doing so against someone as solid as Gordon will likely prove to be more difficult, as such, will likely need to find a more effective way to land strikes and/or wrestle his way to the ground, where he then can work his submissions.

Finding more advanced ways to win fights is an evolution that Paddy himself has stated he needs to do. This self-awareness, of fully admitting the way he has won in the past has not been impressive from a technical standpoint, showcases a fight trait that I love – intelligence. Being intelligent, both in and out of the octagon, is a necessary trait when fighting in the lightweight division given there are countless fighters who are tough, talented, and well-rounded. Beating these fighters requires fight-over-fight growth, and this growth formulates through the acceptance of needing to continually improve. For Paddy, stating that he has not been happy with his past performances is great to hear, particularly with him looking flawed from a defensive perspective in those fights. If he does hone his defensive skills, both with defending strikes and being patient with grappling, then Paddy can begin his climb up the division. If, however, he fails to do so, then this sizable step-up in competition may prove to be a fatal move.

Jared Gordon deserves credit where credit is due, as while he may not be the most exciting fighter, he is an extremely sound, mechanical fighter who is able to exacerbate the weaknesses of his opponents. This style, of attacking what his opponent does poorly, showcases his veteran style as he understands that his well-rounded skills, accompanied by an ability to fight a hard 15-minute affair, allows him to beat talented, but flawed fighters.

Lately, Gordon has had to face talented grapplers who lack strong striking ability. In these fights, he has used his stocky frame and sound technique to make it difficult to take him down, and, when kept standing, land short, powerful hooks. While Gordon can flip this style, to implement strong offensive wrestling against poor grapplers, he will likely employ a rinse-and-repeat method as he has done of late. The benefit for him is that his tight, technical boxing will allow him to find success against the wild striking of Pimblett, and his hard-nosed grappling will allow him to find success in the clinch. The negative is that while he is a talented grappler, he is someone who has been submitted by a rear-naked choke, which is Paddy’s specialty.

Prediction

This is a dangerous test for Paddy Pimblett but a necessary test if he seeks to climb the dangerous lightweight division. Gordon’s tight boxing will make it dangerous for Paddy on the feet, and Gordon’s sound wrestling will prove to be an obstacle for Paddy to overcome. From a forecasting standpoint, if Paddy was boasting about his previous performances, I would confidently take Gordon given Paddy had more serious flaws in those performances than he did benefits. But, because Paddy has shown maturity and self-awareness, I fully expect him to improve, fight within himself, and put forth his best performance to date. Because of this, I am taking him in this fight, but do note picking a method is quite tricky given Gordon is hard to finish, but has shown his neck can be found, albeit quite difficult to do.

Pick: Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett to win

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Pimblett’s superstardom has less to do with his talent and more to do with his marketability. He is fantastic on the microphone, has a polarizing personality, and knows how to sell fights. He’ll look to back up his talk Saturday night against Jordan “The Monkey King” Leavitt.

Leavitt, himself, is gaining some internet fame with his post-fight celebration — doing the splits in the center of the cage and bouncing up and down. Similar to Paddy, Leavitt is riding a two-fight win streak into Saturday, bringing his UFC record to 3-1.

Betting Odds

Paddy opened as a respectable favorite over Leavitt and has steadily maintained the same odds throughout the week. But, given his following, I expect him to close higher than his current tag.

• Pimblett: -265 (MyBookie)
• Leavitt: +205 (MyBookie)

Breakdown

The Pimblett we’ve seen in the UFC is not quite the same fighter that came over from Cage Warriors. In Cage Warriors, Pimblett was a solid wrestler with a strong grappling game and slick submissions. He still fought with panache and aggression but was more strategic in the cage. In both of his UFC fights, though, Pimblett has fought like he only has three minutes to end the fight. As soon as his fights have started, Pimblett has taken the center of the octagon with a wide and bouncy orthodox stance. He keeps his hands low and chin high, and air of extreme confidence. Then, he throws wild but powerful strikes to either drop his foe or close distance.

If he doesn’t get the flash knockout, Paddy will look to clinch up, drag his opponent to the mat with raw aggression rather than technique, and scramble to the back to look for a choke. His style is as exciting as his personality but incredibly risky. With such low hands and a high chin, Pimblett is hittable and droppable once he faces someone with solid striking. His dangerous grappling is a safer path to victory than his striking, but he still uses it aggressively. Pimblett seems to be in such a rush to end the fight that he relies on his size advantage and ability to win the scramble rather than securing a better position.

Even though he has back-to-back first-round finishes, I don’t think we’ve seen the best Paddy in the UFC yet. Once he fights with more patience, lets the fight come to him, and then attacks, we’ll see the best Pimblett. On the other hand, the holes in his game are still there, so I expect him to hit some rough patches sooner rather than later as well.

Leavitt actually has a similar fight style to Pimblett. He is a strong wrestler who has surprising strength in his takedowns. Given the opportunity, Leavitt is even able to land a slam takedown which takes fundamental knowledge and natural strength. Then, once the fight gets to the mat, Leavitt has shown strong BJJ with an affinity for a triangle choke. On the feet, he is bouncy and athletic, working in and out of the pocket. But, his offensive striking is more stick’n move, so it rarely deters fighters from walking him down and putting him on his back foot.

Recently, Leavitt has shown an improved counter game, specifically checking the leg kick and landing a straight cross down the barrel. But, ultimately, his striking leaves something to be desired. He looks best against opponents who fight with a lower volume on the feet, so Leavitt can time his entries without having to set them up himself. But, once an opponent pressures, Leavitt can get caught on his bike for long periods at a time. His awkward style and strong grappling make him an interesting fighter, but he’ll need to evolve his standup if he wants to climb the division.

Prediction

This fight should be an easy win for Pimblett if he avoids the catastrophic mistake. Pimblett has the pressure style that gives Leavitt fits, strikes with more power and volume, and, I feel, is the better grappler. However, Pimblett’s tendency to fight for the quick finish can put him in bad spots, and Leavitt tends to capitalize on opponents’ mistakes.

That being said, I like Pimblett to get the win in London and rock the world on the microphone again. I prefer him in parlays, but, as a straight play, I like Pimblett to find a late-round submission.

Prediction: Pimblett to win by submission (-120 odds at MyBookie)

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Betting Odds

Despite being only his second UFC fight, Pimblett is the largest favorite on the card.

• Pimblett: -450
• Vargas: +325

Breakdown

In his debut, Pimblett set social media on fire. He was in one of the most exciting rounds of the year, trading heavy blows, disregarding defense, and, eventually, winning by knockout. Then, he amplified his hype by dazzling on the microphone like only he can do. Interestingly, though, the style we saw in his debut is not his typical fight strategy. Yes, Pimblett has decent striking, solid power, and often pressures quickly. But, his traditional path to victory is not a blow for blow brawl, but, rather, grappling. Pimblett has several early finishes outside the UFC. In these fights, he often takes the center of the cage immediately, stalks forward to cut off the cage, exchanges just enough heavy strikes to overwhelm his opponent, closes the distance, and secures the takedown or clinch. From here, Pimblett is in his world; he will transition to the back and use his long arms to sneak under the chin for a choke finish. As long as he doesn’t fall in love with his hands and his sometimes high chin holds up to shots, Pimblett’s fan-friendly style should continue to be successful.

Vargas is in a tough spot here. He is a well-rounded fighter who is average in all areas: striking, grappling, volume, and cardio. He is the type of fighter that is a litmus test for unproven prospects because he can neutralize the prospects’ primary attack. However, other than being a test for prospects, Vargas does not have much offense himself. Since 2017, he is 3-3 and has only 1 finish despite facing non-UFC or low-level UFC talent. His typical path to victory is to outlast and out-volume his opponents on his way to a close decision. His striking is solid and varied, his defense is sound, and his offensive wrestling is good enough to hold opponents against the cage. However, his achilles heel is his defensive wrestling; he only stops 25% of takedown attempts. Once on the back, Vargas goes into survival mode and holds guard rather than going for submissions or trying to stand up.

Prediction

Making this fight the matchup before the co-main event in London is no mistake. The UFC recognizes the blooming superstar that is Pimblett and they want to market him by giving him a winnable matchup in the limelight of his home country. I foresee Pimblett taking advantage of the opportunity and making quick work of Vargas. Pimblett rushes forward, unloads a heavy and wild combination, then takes the back en route to an early submission win.

Prediction: Pimblett by submission

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TUF 27 competitor Joe Giannetti will step in on 10 days’ notice to face Pimblett in a lightweight bout on the main card of Cage Warriors 111.

“This is a fight that international fight fans have wanted for a while,” Giannetti said in a press release by the promotion. “I’ve got a goal to get back into the UFC, Paddy’s got a goal to get to the UFC, so we’re going to find out who’s the others’ stepping stone.

“I hope he’s not expecting an easy night because I got the call last minute – we bring a different type of energy in Boston!”

Giannetti finished second in the TUF 27 lightweight tournament, losing via split decision at the finale to Mike Trizano, the first loss of his professional career.

Giannetti then returned to the regional circuit. After fighting to a draw against Josh Harvey in his first fight back with Cage Titans, Giannetti has put up a 2-1 record with both of his wins coming via stoppage and his lone loss being a unanimous decision.

For Pimblett, this will be his first bout since his unanimous decision loss to Soren Bak for the vacant Cage Warriors lightweight title in September of 2018. Pimblett is 14-3-0 overall but is 1-2 in his last three bouts, his two losses coming via unanimous decision.

This marks the second time that a fight between Pimblett and Desmae has failed to come to fruition after previously being booked.

Pimblett expressed his thanks for still being able to compete on the card in the press release.

“Considering everyone says they want to fight me, when the opportunity came up, they all went missing,” Pimblett said. “I’m grateful to Joe for stepping up, but it’s a bad decision for him. I don’t think he’s been finished before, so this will be the first time he’s been finished in his career.”

Cage Warriors 111 takes place on Friday, Nov. 22 at the London Indigo at the O2.

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