Ariel Helwani Breaks Silence on Paddy Pimblett’s Divisive UFC 282 Win

Getty Paddy Pimblett stands in his corner as he's introduced prior to facing Jared Gordon.

Ariel Helwani gave his take on UFC star Paddy Pimblett’s recent win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

This past weekend, Pimblett marked his return to action against Gordon in the co-main event of the final pay-per-view of the year. Gordon landed some huge left hooks early in the fight but Pimblett managed to recover well. Pimblett edged out Gordon on the judges’ scorecards by unanimous decision after going the distance in a close-fought battle that many felt could have swung either way.

Following the divisive result, many fans and fighters alike took issue with the scoring of the bout and went as far as to say that Gordon got ‘robbed’ of a clear win.

In an episode of “The Ringer,” prolific mixed martial arts journalist Helwani shared his thoughts on Pimblett’s controversial win.

“After watching that fight guys, I believe that is one of the worst decisions in the history of the UFC,” Helwani said. “I think that that was, at worst, 29-28 Jared Gordon. You can make a very strong case for 30-27. I do not know how all three judges could score that; not one, not even one dissenter could score that for Paddy Pimblett, all three scored it 29-28 for Pimblett. I don’t know how you could give the first round to Paddy.

“I don’t understand it. I don’t understand how you give him the first. Honestly, I don’t understand how you give him the third. I don’t understand how you could give him any rounds. I really do think it’s one of the worst decisions. I feel for Jared Gordon, I thought he fought great. That left hand was landing left, right, and center.”

Helwani Questioned Whether the Judges Were Scoring the Fights Unfairly

Helwani voiced his concern regarding the selection of judges. He pointed at Doug Crosby, who turned in a shockingly dissenting card for Bellator 289’s main event in Connecticut less than 24 hours before UFC 282, as a clear example in his call for a change.

“The left hand was tremendous for him, every time he was throwing it. Paddy had success with the leg kicks,” said Helwani. “I know these guys are fazed by the crowd. You know that they are fazed by the crowd and the moment.

“I will say this right now, there’s a part of me that wonders with some of these judges, wonders if they are trying to score fights based on what they think the promotion wants. I feel comfortable saying that after seeing what Doug Crosby has done this weekend.”

Helwani Responded to Pimblett’s Comments

Pimblett ignited a heated rivalry with Helwani going into the contest. During the post-fight octagon interview, ‘The Baddy’ fired another shot at Helwani, cheekily asking commentator Joe Rogan if he paid for the interview.

Helwani discussed Pimblett’s comments after the win and thanked him for the mention.

“That post-fight interview, I didn’t know that I could own more real estate than the real estate I have in Dana White’s head but apparently, there’s some nice beachfront property over there in Paddy’s mind; it’s the first thing out of his mouth… Up until tonight, I have never been referenced by anyone in a post-fight interview. Thank you, Paddy! I finally got to cross one off the bucket list.”

“I had not been referenced before. This is a big moment. I was kind of upset for Jared but I was very excited. Now, we didn’t get confirmation from Joe whether or not he paid for the interview. I thought it was a great zinger, it was very clever and very funny. Joe no-sold it.”