UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett explained why he braids his hair for his fights inside the Octagon.
Pimblett didn’t always braid his hair, but ever since a razor-thin, controversial decision win over Jared Gordon at 282 in December 2022, he has put his hair into braids before he fights.
Now, we know why.
Paddy Pimblett Explains Braiding Hair
Speaking on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast, Pimblett explained why he braids his hair for his UFC fights.
“A lot of people call (the Jared Gordon fight) one of the worst robberies of all time. When he was hitting me with punches my hair was flying back. It just looks 10 times worse. After that fight I thought ‘I’m gonna have to get braids from now on’. And it’s worked,” Pimblett said.
“A lot of people call [the Jared Gordon fight] one of the worst robberies of all time.
When he was hitting me with punches my hair was flying back. It just looks 10 times worse. After that fight I thought ‘I’m
Since that Gordon fight, Pimblett is 4-1, so it appears that the braids are working.
What’s Next for Paddy Pimblett?
Pimblett is coming off an awesome first-round submission win over Benoit Saint Denis that reaffirmed his position as one of the very best lightweights in the world after an upset (at the time) loss to Justin Gaethje earlier this year at UFC 324.
After beating Saint Denis so easily, Pimblett proved that he is still among the very best fighters in his weight class, so of course, he wants to fight the best opponents.
If Pimblett had it his way, he would be fighting either Arman Tsarukyan or Ilia Topuria in his next bout. Tsarukyan has a fight booked next month at UFC 331 when he takes on Mauricio Ruffy in what looks to be a No. 1 contender’s bout at 155 lbs, but Topuria is still available after losing to Gaethje at UFC Freedom 250.
With Pimblett and Topuria both losing to Gaethje this year, it makes a lot of sense for the two to fight each other, with the winner getting a title shot in the UFC lightweight division.
These two contenders have been connected to a grudge match for a long time, so perhaps now is the time that the two long-time rivals finally settle the score inside the Octagon once and for all.
Paddy Pimblett Explains Why He Braids His Hair