Paddy Pimblett is looking to mirror his performance from his UFC debut.
Pimblett (17-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) returns to the octagon on March 19 when he faces Kazula Vargas (12-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at the UFC Fight Night event at the O2 Arena in London.
The highly touted prospect made serious waves in his promotional debut last September when he knocked out Luigi Vendramini, and he’s excited to rock his home crowd with another first-round stoppage.
“It’s definitely gonna be a first-round finish,” Pimblett said on the UFC Unfiltered podcast. “I can’t see him lasting any more than five minutes with me to be honest. Even though he’s got good heart, he’s got a good chin, he’s resolute, but I showcased my striking in the last fight. I might have to showcase my grappling in this one. I’m going with a first-round submission or a first-round TKO off ground and pound.”
Prior to his booking with Vargas, there were rumblings of Pimblett facing Jared Gordon. Although he was never offered Gordon, Pimblett said he’s glad the fight never materialized.
He explained why.
“I would have happily fought Jared Gordon, but at the same time, I looked at it, and he’s had nine UFC fights,” Pimblett said. “How much money do you think he’s getting? He’s getting a lot more than me, lad. So thinking about it that way, I’m glad I never ended up fighting Jared Gordon because I want a better and bigger contract before I fight people like that.”
https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/2022/02/ufc-london-paddy-pimblett-guarantess-first-round-finish-kazula-vargas
