UFC superstar Conor McGregor has offered Paddy Pimblett some words of encouragement following his controversial win over Jared Gordon.
The Baddy moved to 4-0 in the UFC on Saturday night as he edged out his toughest opponent to date over three rounds at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
All three of the UFC 282 judges scored the nip-and-tuck fight 29-28 in his favour but his opponent, UFC colleagues, and many fans think the decision should’ve gone the other way.
Gordon tweeted post-fight: “I was robbed everyone knows it… I can cry about it but I been back from worst and gods plan is the best plan so I know there’s something big to come from it.”
And Jake Paul waded into the debate by suggesting Pimblett is one of Dana White's favourites.
"Being a UFC fighter, with zero rights and no control, is amazing if you are one of Dana White’s favourites.
"You can even do a food review for free to drive up his views. What a league. You all deserve better."
UFC legend Nate Diaz disputed the decision online, as did former dual-weight champion Henry Cejudo who said: “Man, that’s the worst decision… It absolutely makes me sick.”
The man himself thinks he did enough to win all three rounds against Gordon and is struggling to understand the uproar surrounding his fourth UFC win.
Following a day of post-fight negativity, Pimblett finally got some words of support from Notorious who congratulated him on his performance and insisted the 27-year-old is doing everything right during his brief UFC career.
McGregor tweeted: “Congrats paddy the baddy this weekend. Doing all the right things despite what you’d think. Great stuff. Onward. #anotherone”
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The former featherweight and lightweight champion has always had a soft spot for Pimblett who followed in his footsteps by becoming a massive star with Cage Warriors before moving on to MMA’s premier promotion.
Earlier this year, when the UFC prospect and his teammate, Molly McCann, visited McGregor’s famous Dublin pub, The Black Forge Inn, he offered the scouse duo some words of encouragement during a FaceTime call.
At the end of their visit, McGregor even sorted out the bill, as Pimblett explained in the lead-up to his latest fight, he said: "Yeah, he paid it all.
“We didn't even see the bill he just said I'm taking care of it, but I was eating and Molly was drinking so you can imagine how much it was."
Provided he quickly overcomes any niggles picked up during his UFC 282 fight, Pimblett is expected to compete again on March 18 at UFC 286 in London.
Meanwhile, McGregor’s injury layoff has lasted since July 2021 but is expected to end in 2023.
However, due to his ongoing issues with the UFC’s drug test agency, it’s currently unclear exactly how soon the biggest MMA star will return.
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