English lightweight Paddy Pimblett has had his sights set on the UFC for years and, after picking up the 16th win of his career at Cage Warriors 122, he’s finally been given his shot. Pimblett (16-3) emerged on the U.K. scene competing for a host of different domestic promotions, including Olympian MMA Championships, Cage Contender and Full Contact Contender, but it was with Cage Warriors that the young Liverpudlian started to really make waves. After suffering a quick-fire submission loss to Cameron Else in his second Cage Warriors appearance, Pimblett went on a tear, as he won nine fights in a row, collecting the Cage Warriors and Full Contact Contender featherweight titles along the way. After successfully defending the Cage Warriors belt against current UFC athlete Julian Erosa in November 2016, a switch to the UFC seemed a near-formality. But then Pimblett lost his title to Nad Narimani, who earned the call-up to the big stage instead.
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Video: Recap Paddy Pimblett’s Cage Warriors highlights ahead of his UFC debut – MMA Junkie