Sports
Paddy Pimblett’s First-Ever Loss Saw Him Get Choked Unconscious in Just 35 Seconds
Paddy Pimblett was undefeated in the cage for just under a year after making his debut in 2012, until he faced off against Cameron Else back in 2013.
At just 18 years old, Pimblett fought against Else at Cage Warriors 60 in his fifth professional MMA bout. Going into this contest, he was a rising star, having won his four previous fights, and doing so with relative ease. Else, meanwhile, was pretty much an unknown quantity, having a record of 1-1 going into the contest, meaning the expectations were for Pimblett to make it a straightforward 5-0.
These expectations were soon shattered by Else, however, after he caught Pimblett early on with an anaconda choke hold. Pimblett showed his desire by refusing to tap and tried to fight out of the hold, but these efforts were futile as Else continued to hold on and caused his opponent to fall unconscious and lose the fight. Roll on 13 years, and that is still the only fight that Paddy ‘The Baddy’ has lost via stoppage.
The two fighters have had polar opposite careers, however, with Pimblett establishing himself as one of the top UFC fighters. Else, however, was released by the UFC after signing in 2020, following two successive defeats to Kyler Phillips and Qileng Aori. He holds a professional MMA record of 11-6 and is currently signed with the Global Fight League.
Paddy Pimblett’s Career Since Losing to Cameron Else
Following their fight, the Liverpudlian has racked up a record of 23-3 and is set to face Justin Gaethje in the biggest fight of his career to date later this month at UFC 324.
In 2021, Pimblett competed in his first-ever UFC fight, defeating Luigi Vendramini via first-round knockout. Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength, fighting six times and winning all six fights.
Rodrigo Vargas, Jordan Leavitt, Jared Gordon, Tony Ferguson, King Green, and Michael Chandler have all shared the cage with The Baddy under the UFC banner and have all come away with a loss on their records. Only two of those fights went the distance as well.
Video: Paddy Pimblett’s First-Ever Loss
Now, however, Pimblett is preparing for the biggest fight of his career as he shares the cage with Gaethje, with the interim lightweight championship on the line following Ilia Topuria‘s decision to relinquish the belt.
Due to personal issues away from the Octagon, Topuria announced he wouldn’t be fighting in the first half of 2026, and instead of holding up the division, he opted to relinquish his gold, allowing Pimblett and Gaethje to do battle to be crowned interim champion.
Pimblett will be hoping his title fight at UFC 324 later this month doesn’t end the same way his fight did with Cameron Else all the way back in 2013.
