Paddy Pimblett doubtful he’ll make 2023 UFC return after ankle injury: ‘It was a lot worse than we thought’
UK phenom Paddy Pimblett has recently had his hopes dashed when it comes to making a 2023 return to the UFC octagon after the ankle injury he suffered at UFC 282 against Jared Gordon.
While all hope is not lost, the UK star admits he is very doubtful it may happen and has said that the actual extent of the damage is a lot worse than doctors and Pimblett himself believed it to be.
Standing at 20-3 overall and 4-0 in the UFC octagon, Pimblett has been hailed as the potential “next Conor McGregor“. He has the charisma, the unique look, and the win streak behind him. However, at UFC 282, a controversial decision victory over Gordon made many doubt his skills. Speculation began about how poorly he’d fair amongst the lightweight elite, and sadly the ankle injury Pimblett suffered at UFC 282 has not allowed him to redeem himself or confirm those suspicions as of yet.
Paddy Pimblett provides an update on his ankle injury and possible UFC return
Speaking to Sky Sports, ‘The Baddy’ spilled the beans on the status of his injury, and the news was not very positive at all. In fact, Pimblett isn’t even sure when he will return, just that things are indeed a lot worse than everybody had expected.
“I’m about to get surgery after my last fight,” Paddy Pimblett told Sky Sports. “I hurt my foot in the first round, in like the first minute or two, threw a kick, hurt it. I felt it, but obviously, we crack on, we get through the fight.”
“At the end of the fight, I can remember going back to the medical room just saying my foot is sore. Couldn’t get it looked at properly until I got home. Then, when the actual swelling went down – I didn’t know when to get surgery – it was a lot worse than we thought. I had to get inner and outer ligament surgery – well, reconstruction. So it’s big.”
Already on crutches for six weeks at the time of the interview, Paddy Pimblett went on to say he could need another six weeks on them before he could even hope to train and get back to his regular fighting self.
“I’ll be lucky to fight this year,” he admitted.
