When is Paddy Pimblett fighting again and who is his opponent?
Since bursting onto the scene in the UFC, Paddy Pimblett has gained a very large and loyal fanbase in his home country of England. His supporters will be happy to know that his next bout takes place in London. 'The Baddy' will be taking on Jordan Leavitt at UFC London on July 23 this year.
Leavitt is confident of being able to stop the Pimblett hype train, meaning the bout will likely be a non-stop action fight. The Scouser has finished both of his UFC bouts within one round, which has helped build his profile worldwide.
In his first two fights in the octagon, Paddy Pimblett faced Luigi Vendramini and Rodrigo Vargas. Both fighters are hardly household names, but given Pimblett's short time in the UFC, the quality of his opponents is pretty normal.
The Englishman will face his toughest test yet against Leavitt. 'The Monkey King' has only been beaten once in his 11 professional MMA bouts. The American has fought four times in the UFC and once in Dana White's Contender Series.
Leavitt suffered his only defeat when facing Claudio Puelles at UFC Fight Night: Rozenstruik vs. Sakai in June 2021. 'The Monkey King' lost via unanimous decision but bounced back by winning his next two bouts against Matt Sayles and Trey Ogden.
Both fighters have larger-than-life personalities, so it's likely going to be an entertaining bout no matter the result. However, Pimblett will be keen to carry on his momentum in front of his home crowd and potentially start to eye a ranked opponent in the future.
How much money did Paddy Pimblett earn in his UFC debut?
Due to his amazing work in Cage Warriors, Paddy Pimblett already had a loyal following when joining the UFC. However, 'The Baddy' took home just $94,000 in total from his UFC debut against Luigi Vendramini. This sounds good for a first fight, but $50,000 of this prize money was earned via bonuses.
The Englishman had a base salary of $20,000 and a win bonus of another $20,000. Pimblett also earned $4,000 from the UFC sponsorship money. The biggest chunk of his pay came from a performance bonus of $50,000. His opponent took home much less, earning $24,500 in total.
Watch Pimblett's debut here:
Paddy Pimblett's opponent also had a base salary of $20,000, but the loss meant that he wasn't entitled to any bonuses. Fighter pay is often debated in the MMA world, but considering the bout didn't last longer than a round, it was a good night's work for 'The Baddy' on his debut.
(All payout figures sourced via mmasalaries.com)