Pimblett was knocked down and badly hurt several times throughout the bout but managed to stay in the fight and inflict damage until the end. Despite losing to Gaethje, UFC commentator and former two-division champion Daniel Cormier believes Pimblett won over fans and silenced the doubters.
“Very rarely does a guy elevate in a loss as much as I believe Paddy Pimblett will elevate in this loss,” Cormier said on his YouTube channel.
“So many people wanted to call him a hype job. So many people wanted to pretend that this kid didn’t deserve to be here, that this kid was not a viable challenger for a world title. He proved that. All that. he hasn’t fought anybody in the Top 5 yet, none of the best guys, I don’t want to hear that again because what I saw was a kid that has a big future that has a ton of ability to really challenge the best fighters in the world and he’ll do that consistency for a really, really long time.”
Cormier urged Pimblett to ‘keep his head up’ despite the loss. “The Baddy” likely gained fans even in defeat.
“I know Paddy was very disappointed but he needs to keep his head up because I thought he fought well. He represented himself. He represented his family, represented Liverpool very well inside the octagon,” Cormier said. “That was title fight one of many that will come down the line.”
Pimblett came up short against Gaethje, but his toughness was on full display. He absorbed shots that would have ended the night for a great number of fighters and returned fire.
“I think after watching that, everybody that was tuned in are going to be lifelong fans of the UFC because on the special nights, there is not a sport in the world that can compare to the UFC,” Cormier said.
