UFC Star Paddy Pimblett Once Nearly Lost a Kidney During Extreme Weight Cut

Paddy Pimbett talked in detail about a life threatening weight-cut experience during his days in Cage Warriors FC.

UFC Star Paddy Pimblett Once Nearly Lost a Kidney During Extreme Weight Cut

'Big' lightweight Paddy Pimblett details the reality of harrowing weight cuts (Source: X)

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Scousers don’t get knocked out! UFC fans are well aware of Paddy Pimblett’s mantra inside the Octagon. Still undefeated in the promotion, the rising UFC star is quickly closing in on title contention and remains confident that no one can take him out easily. As a naturally big lightweight, Pimblett often competes well above the division’s typical size limits.

This makes his extreme weight cuts a frequent topic of conversation among fans and analysts alike. ‘The Baddy’ stands at 5’10” and usually likes to keep it big and balloons out of measure when not in camp. Moreover, his prolific eating habits have often made rounds on social media.

Despite his diet, the Liverpudlian consistently makes the 155-pound limit and has never missed weight in the division. But for Pimblett, it’s never been an easy task. In fact, he recently revealed that things were even tougher before his UFC days, when he captured gold in Cage Warriors FC fighting at an even more brutal cut of 145 pounds.

That cut was disgusting….The [one cut vs. Julian Erosa] was bad, and then the one after, I fought Nad Narimani to defend my belt. I ended up eventually losing that fight, but when I had cut weight and I was on weight I went to get a DEXA scan at the university in Liverpool…couple of days after, the doctor looked at it and said, ‘If I would’ve seen this before the fight, I wouldn’t have let you fight.’ I was like one pound away from kidney failure and something with my liver. He said I had no testosterone in my body.

Paddy Pimblett via his YouTube channel

Pimblett’s tendency to indulge in unhealthy diets between camps certainly doesn’t make weight cutting any easier. As he’s grown older and packed on more muscle, staying close to the 155-pound limit has become increasingly difficult, especially when it’s easier for him to bulk up than stay lean.

Even for seasoned fighters, the cut to lightweight can be brutal. Just look at Charles Oliveira, whose struggles on the scale have been well-documented within the fight community. To stack up a reminder, ex-UFC two-weight champ Daniel Cormier also suffered kidney failure as an Olympian in 2008. The UFC Hall of Famer has talked about the hustle of cutting weight many times.

At 155 pounds, Pimblett sufficiently manages better hydration and less significant cut downs. That is how the Liverpudlian defends his bloated diet and off-camp state. And it seems that ‘one above’ is usually better, and much like him, his rival Ilia Topuria made a move from featherweight to 155lbs owing to difficult weight-cut experience in the past.

Max Holloway backs Paddy Pimblett in a potential bout against Ilia Topuria

At UFC 318 this weekend, Max Holloway scored a massive win against Dustin Poirier, giving Ilia Topuria yet another name to keep on his radar. While Holloway is 2-1 in his last three, that lone loss came in a 145-pound title fight against Topuria himself at UFC 308. Still, those two victories are nothing to overlook—they came against a recent title challenger and a former top contender at lightweight, proving that ‘Blessed’ is far from done climbing the ranks.

No.10-ranked Paddy Pimblett could leapfrog for title shots soon
No.10-ranked Paddy Pimblett could leapfrog for title shots soon (Source: X)

Hence, in the convoluted lightweight rankings, many believe that Holloway has made headway for a top contender spot. However, there are a bunch of others in the queue. #2-ranked contender Arman Tsarukyan is looking to make his way back to the gold. Meanwhile, #4-ranked Justin Gaethje won’t fight for anything other than the division gold.

Then there’s Paddy Pimblett, who’s had a long-standing rivalry with the champ. During fight week, Max Holloway made it clear that those expecting the sharp-striking Topuria to steamroll Pimblett might want to think again.

People forget we’re in the entertainment business, … We’re entertainment, and whoever sells those seats, that’s what the UFC is going to do. We have [bossman Dana] talking about how Arman’s taking the right step to getting a title shot again, which is insane, …I mean my last ‘55 fight, I did what I did and now I’m here at ‘55 which is just weird.

Max Holloway to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting

Holloway further said that Pimblett is no longer the young rising contender and can hold up against the elite of the division. Moreover, the Englishman’s team is well aware of Topuria’s power and would prepare Pimblett accordingly when the time comes for him to challenge the Spaniard.

[With that] Everybody can say we saw Paddy get cracked. I saw myself get cracked a bunch of times, and when Ilia hit me, we saw what we saw. At the end of the day, I think Paddy and his team will prepare right for that fight. I think they’ll have a game plan and he’s no slouch.

Max Holloway to Damon Martin of MMA Fighting

Holloway iterated how everyone thinks that Pimblett is someone who just runs his mouth but can be cracked with enough explosiveness. However, the Englishman proved everyone wrong when he took on the challenge of Michael Chandler at UFC 314 with a third-round TKO.

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