Paddy Pimblett still relevant despite being benched for ankle surgery, gets called out at UFC 283

Paddy Pimblett is set to undergo ankle surgery in March due to an injury that he suffered in his last octagon outing against Jared Gordon at UFC 282 in December. While the timeline delays Pimblett's potential return to at least the second quarter of the year, 'The Baddy' continues to be called out by high-level opponents.

Lightweight veteran Thiago Moises called out Pimblett after his win over Melquizael Costa at UFC 283. Moises said in his post-fight octagon interview via a translator:

'Paddy Pimblett, I wanna fight you. I'm gonna take your wig and I'm gonna clean up the octagon."

Catch Moises' interview below:

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Moises welcomed Costa, the first UFC fighter to have vitiligo, on the preliminary card at UFC 283 in Brazil. The opening frame was booed by fans as the veteran unsuccessfully kept trying to take down 'Melk Cauthy'.

Moises opened up Costa with a big right hand in the second round as the debutant tried to defend takedowns with his back against the octagon. The veteran followed up with a flurry, landing most of his shots, before dragging his opponent to the canvas. Moises locked in a body triangle, followed by a rear-naked choke that forced the tap at 4:05 of round 2.

Watch the highlights below:

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Spinnin Backfist

@SpinninBackfist

Thiago Moises is so underrated. Easy RNC finish #UFC283

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Thiago Moises is so underrated. Easy RNC finish #UFC283 https://t.co/HQh8E6z7C0

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Paddy Pimblett's ankle surgery

The self-proclaimed new cash cow of the UFC, Paddy Pimblett has gained a Conor McGregor-esque relevancy where he continues to get called out despite being out of action.

'The Baddy' recently announced that he will be going under the knife in March due to an injury he suffered in his controversial decision win over Jared Gordon at UFC 282.

According to Pimblett, the injury likely occurred early in the fight after he landed a leg kick on Gordon's shin. The Liverpudlian's doctor deemed it a level 2 injury that will require surgery, shutting down any hopes of him competing at UFC 286 in London. Pimblett's doctor said while looking at an X-ray of his ankle:

"It looks like you have a small amount of cartilage lost in this bit. That’s exactly where you’re sore. The other thing you’ve got is all this white stuff around here, that’s all fluid. So, that’s what the swelling is. When we look at the ligaments that join your fibula, so you’ve probably got what we call a grade 2 injury to that.”

Watch the video below:

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