Paddy Pimblett looks to be out of the running for a spot on the UFC 286 card in London on the 19th of March.
The Liverpudlian revealed in a YouTube video that he’s expecting to go under the knife that same month for an ankle injury sustained in his most recent bout opposite Jared Gordon, on what he believes was the first kick he threw.
“Looks like you have got a small amount of cartilage lost in this bit, and that’s exactly where you’re sore,” Pimblett’s doctor told him in the video. “The other thing you’ve got is all this white stuff around here. That’s all fluid, so that’s what all the swelling is. Now when we look at your ligaments that joins from your fibula, you probably got what we call a Grade 2 injury to that.”
Pimblett did not mention an estimated time of recovery.
The AllStar MMA roundup
- The AllStar MMA Live: UFC Vegas 67 Reaction, Recap
The best of the rest
- Jon Jones advisor Richard Schaefer: Francis Ngannou ‘made a mistake’ by not re-signing with UFC – MMAFighting.com
- Umar Nurmagomedov wants on UFC 285 after knockout of Raoni Barcelos – MMAJunkie.com
- Raquel Pennington believes she deserves Amanda Nunes title rematch after UFC Fight Night 217 – MMAJunkie.com
- Chuck Liddell retired, but would fight Jake Paul if offered enough money: ‘He’s got no chance’ – MMAFighting.com
- ‘Let’s say I referee 800 fights, and I f–d up in four’ – Ex-UFC ref Yamasaki responds to critics – BloodyElbow.com
The soapbox
Mike Swick opens up about his health issues:
A tempting treat:
Kelvin Gastelum looks to re-up:
Muhammad Mokaev on his struggle to get a fight booked:
T-wrecks knows the pain:
Jake Hadley chimes in:
UFC negotiating tactics:
Kickboxing champ Cedric Doumbe has eyes on Sean Strickland:
McGregor has dreadful taste:
Fun fact:
The morning view
Adam Fugitt chats to JHK about UFC Vegas 68:
The AllStar MMA Live reaction to Francis leaving the UFC:
Dan Hardy breaks down Glover Texeira vs Jamahal Hill:
The first episode of UFC Embedded for the year:
Done Deals
Tuesday:
- Michelle Waterson-Gomez to fight Luana Pinheiro at UFC 287 on April 8th (per Brett Okamoto)
- Muhammad Mokaev to fight Jafel Filho at UFC 286 on March 18th (per Brett Okamoto)
- Karol Rosa to fight Norma Dumont at UFC event on April 22nd (per AG Fight)
Monday:
- Jon Jones to fight Cyril Gane for the Vacant UFC heavyweight title at UFC 285 on March 4th (per Dana White/T-Mobile Arena staff 😂 )
- Champion Leon Edwards to fight Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 on March 18th (per UFC announcement)
- Justin Gaethje to fight Rafael Fiziev at UFC 286 on March 18th (per Brett Okamoto)
- Junior Tafa to fight Austen Lane at UFC 284 on February 11th (per ESPN)
UFC Roster Watch
Fighters removed this week:
- Francis Ngannou
Fighters Added this week:
- Junior Tafa
- Christian Duncan
Credit to UFC Roster Watch
On this day in MMA…
On the 17th of January, 2017, Dominick Cruz reclaimed the UFC bantamweight title at UFC Fight Night 81 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Returning after a two-year break due to injury, Cruz would face reigning champ TJ Dillashaw to headline the Fight Night card in order to secure a belt that he never lost.
After a stunning 25-minute back-and-forth affair that saw both men mount career performances, the judges were left to determine the winner of one of the greatest bantamweight fights of all time.
When the scorecards were read, it was Cruz who would come away with the split-decision victory, but – as is often the case when fights are left in the judge’s hands – not without controversy.
