Paddy Pimblett has become a fast-rising star in the UFC, with sizable promotional push thrown behind him. At UFC London on Saturday, Pimblett kept his momentum rolling with a submission victory over Jordan Leavitt in their lightweight clash at the O2 Arena.
Pimblett (19-3) was faced with an opponent who was going to be relentless in trying to turn the fight into a grappling battle. Leavitt (10-2) did just that, driving forward in an attempt to use his wrestling game to put Pimblett on his back.
In the first round, Leavitt did have a degree of success, scoring a slam takedown and keeping Pimblett's back against the cage. To Pimblett's credit, at no point was Leavitt able to maintain top position for any meaningful amount of time. Instead, it was Pimblett who threatened with multiple submission attempts and ended the round in a dominant position after taking Leavitt's back.
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That grappling success accelerated quickly in Round 2. Pimblett was again able to take the back, this time trapping one of Leavitt's arms with a body triangle. With only one arm to defend himself, Leavitt was quickly caught in a rear-naked choke and forced to tap at the 2:46 mark of the round.
Silencing the doubters 🤫 #UFCLondon pic.twitter.com/S4aaKaDgqd
— UFC (@ufc) July 23, 2022
It was another big performance for "Paddy The Baddy," this time in front of a home crowd who were ravenous from the pre-fight walks to the final tap.
Pimblett is now 3-0 in the UFC, all three wins coming by stoppage. He also became the first fighter to finish Leavitt, who falls to 3-2 in the Octagon.
