Paddy Pimblett admits Joe Rogan and Nate Diaz criticism bothered him after the Jared Gordon fight but is ‘game’ to run it back.

Although Paddy Pimblett maintains that he won his contentious bout against Jared Gordon at UFC 282, he now acknowledges that his performance wasn't as ‘dominant’ as he originally believed.

In December, Paddy Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) secured a unanimous decision victory over Jared Gordon (19-6 MMA, 7-5 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a result that many MMA fans viewed as a robbery. The outcry from fans, fighters, and media lasted for weeks after the lightweight bout, and Pimblett bore the brunt of the criticism.

During the post-fight press conference at UFC 282, Pimblett remained unaffected by any critiques directed towards him. Pimblett was confident he had won comfortably.

“I still think I won,” Pimblett told MMA Junkie, “I won the first two rounds. The first round was closer than I thought on the night. I’ve watched it back. On the night I thought he only hit me with about two left hooks. I watched it back and he hit me with about six, seven. But yeah, I watched it back and I thought I won the first two rounds. I thought he won the third by just pushing me against the wall, but I think he got about two significant strikes that round all together. I ended up getting him down. So, it’s however you scored the first round. But I scored the two rounds to me.

“If everyone wants to see it again, I don’t mind beating him at the end of the year, lad. Hopefully he beats Bobby Green (on April 22), then if he wants to fight toward the back end of the year, I’m game.”

Pimblett highlighted that he had suffered an ankle injury during the initial round of the competition. However, he pointed out that nobody has mentioned it.

“I’ve seen people giving me stick for saying I won the fight after it, but what do you want me to do? Say, ‘Oh, I think I lost it,'” Pimblett said. “I do think I won. As I said, I’ve watched the fight back and I don’t think it was as dominant as I thought it was straight after it.

“I felt brilliant going into that last fight. My fight camp was amazing. Never had any injuries or nothing like that going into it. But then when I was in there it just didn’t click. I just didn’t feel good. I felt like sh*t. … That’s probably my worst performance of them all. I was just glad that I went three five-(minute rounds).”

Pimblett expressed his confidence that when he returns to competition, which he anticipates will happen before the year's end, he will display an improved version of himself compared to his performance at UFC 282. Pimblett stated that he is motivated, but not due to any negative comments from fans or critics.

Instead, he is motivated by those he respects, and they have become a driving force for him. Pimblett is determined to demonstrate that he is capable of producing better results than his previous showing, and he is eager to prove this to the world.

“I don’t care what most armchairs say to be honest, you know what I mean? That doesn’t bother me,” Pimblett said. “When pros like Nate Diaz and that say that you’re not winning, Joe Rogan says that you don’t win, that’s when you think, ‘F*cking hell.’ But people sitting on their armchair and comment on my YouTube and my Instagram, I don’t care about it. It’s actual pros who thought I lost.”