Paddy Pimblett's loss to Justin Gaethje has sent shockwaves through the MMA world, and many of his peers have taken to social media to express their disappointment with the result. Arman Tsarukyan, the current lightweight champion, believes that Pimblett was "pushed up the rankings artificially" and did not deserve his title shot against Gaethje.
Tsarukyan's comments were echoed by many others in the MMA community, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, who praised Gaethje for putting on a "legendary" performance. The Russian legend also noted that Gaethje is almost 38 years old and showed incredible heart to step up and take on Pimblett.
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria, the former lightweight champion, took aim at Pimblett's lack of experience against top-level opponents. Topuria claimed that Pimblett was handed the opportunity due to his popularity rather than his work in the octagon.
Despite the criticism, UFC president Dana White believes that Pimblett is "absolutely" one of the best in the division, but criticized his game plan against Gaethje. White noted that while Pimblett was tough and durable, he needed to adapt his strategy to take down a more experienced opponent like Gaethje.
The loss has also sparked debate about Pimblett's future in the UFC. Some pundits believe that he will regroup and come back stronger, while others think that this defeat may be a turning point for him in his career.
In any case, Pimblett's performance against Gaethje was impressive, and many fans are already calling for a rematch. As for Pimblett himself, the 31-year-old was visibly disappointed after the fight but showed incredible heart and bravery in taking on a tougher opponent than expected.
With his future in the UFC uncertain, one thing is clear: Pimblett will have to regroup and refocus if he wants to reclaim his spot at the top of the lightweight division.
Tsarukyan's comments were echoed by many others in the MMA community, including Khabib Nurmagomedov, who praised Gaethje for putting on a "legendary" performance. The Russian legend also noted that Gaethje is almost 38 years old and showed incredible heart to step up and take on Pimblett.
Meanwhile, Ilia Topuria, the former lightweight champion, took aim at Pimblett's lack of experience against top-level opponents. Topuria claimed that Pimblett was handed the opportunity due to his popularity rather than his work in the octagon.
Despite the criticism, UFC president Dana White believes that Pimblett is "absolutely" one of the best in the division, but criticized his game plan against Gaethje. White noted that while Pimblett was tough and durable, he needed to adapt his strategy to take down a more experienced opponent like Gaethje.
The loss has also sparked debate about Pimblett's future in the UFC. Some pundits believe that he will regroup and come back stronger, while others think that this defeat may be a turning point for him in his career.
In any case, Pimblett's performance against Gaethje was impressive, and many fans are already calling for a rematch. As for Pimblett himself, the 31-year-old was visibly disappointed after the fight but showed incredible heart and bravery in taking on a tougher opponent than expected.
With his future in the UFC uncertain, one thing is clear: Pimblett will have to regroup and refocus if he wants to reclaim his spot at the top of the lightweight division.
i feel bad for him he came out strong but just couldn't take down gaethje like dana white said he was tough but maybe should've changed up his game plan a bit more he still showed a lot of heart and bravery in that fight though 
so yeah rematches are always a good idea and im sure paddy will come back stronger 
You gotta give it up for Pimblett, he went all out against Gaethje! The hate's real though... some people got no chill 
. I mean, Pimblett's not even 32 yet! Why would he be considered one of the best in the division so early on? It seems like some people are getting ahead of themselves, trying to push a certain narrative 
. And what's up with all these "critiques" from his peers? Sounds like they're just trying to take him down a peg... or should I say, push him back down the rankings 
. And don't even get me started on Gaethje's comments about Pimblett's game plan - it's clear he's trying to spin this as his own victory 
.
. He showed some serious grit and determination out there. And yeah, maybe his game plan was a bit off, but who hasn't been in that situation before? Even Khabib was saying he was awesome, just at 38 years old! 
. I mean, Paddy was on a roll, thought he had it in the bag against Gaethje, but nope! 
It's like that old saying "what goes up must come down" comes to mind - Pimblett's star has definitely fallen for now. I remember when Conor McGregor first started out, he was getting roasted on social media too 
, but look at him now! The kid's got heart, though, and I'm sure he'll be back stronger than ever... just like that old-school Rocky Balboa 
. 
. Pimblett does need to step up his game and face top-level opponents 
. But it's cool that he gave it a shot and showed heart 
. Can't wait for a rematch 
! The debate about his future in the UFC is on 
!
He definitely showed some grit and heart out there, but at the same time, he got exposed by Gaethje's game plan. 
. 
, pimblett's loss to gaethje was such a huge slap in the face for all the brits out there who were rooting for him!! arman tsarukyan's got some serious nerve throwing shade at pimblett like that, but honestly who can blame him? pimblett did get pushed up the rankings kinda quickly and i don't think he was ready for gaethje just yet.