Unanimous decision loss doesn’t mean Paddy Pimblett party is over

Saturday’s outcome may not have been in favour of Paddy Pimblett (14-3) and his hometown supporters as he suffered a unanimous decision loss to new Cage Warriors lightweight champion Soren Bak (11-1), but that doesn’t – and shouldn’t – spell what many are thinking may be the end for the ‘The Baddy.’

While it is a good question as to what Pimblett’s next move will be, having lost two of his last three in the Echo Arena, it’s an interesting time to be viewing the former featherweight champion. All eyes are bound to be on whatever his next decision will be. The funny thing is that, at only twenty-three years of age, he has put many bums in many seats in his backyard’s arena.

Remembering his youthful age is a big factor. Even inside his loss to Bak, many positives can be taken from that performance. Firstly, his wild, unpredictable instinct to finish. That has always been a prominent key in Pimblett battles and remained a facet in the very first minute of Saturday’s title bout. Possibly any other human would have tapped to the Liverpudlian’s rear-naked choke that night. How Bak survived the neck-wrenching squeeze of Pimblett remains an amazing feat, whilst showing his heart and perfectly displays his statistic of never being submitted.

Another improved factor in Pimblett’s skillset was his improved striking. Having always been deemed a grappler from grappling-dominant gym, Paddy’s hands looked increasingly impressive as he fought in a counter-striking manner. Paddy landed many shots on his opponent from the backfoot and looked comfortable in a new, far more poised style than we have witnessed in his previous outings. Whilst the chin has always been somewhat of a worry when he becomes wobbled by the aggressor, Paddy remained able to score shots and show it wasn’t all one-way traffic.

Pimblett has always allowed himself to be planted against the cage. Whilst this has provided many spectacular moments and victories throughout his career, the worrying aspects of being constantly clipped by the opposition is one that some day he may not be able to escape. Fighting in a counter-striking style may lead to this position, but as we stand, it’s not a Paddy fight if he isn’t attempting wild submissions and barrages from against the cage mesh.

Paddy is a very young man fighting fully grown men. He’s still evolving and finding his feet in a new division. He is nowhere near his finished product. Even with his growth since his last loss to Nad Narimani, there were moments in the Bak fight that were reminiscent of the Narimani outing in April of last year. Moments of standstill action on his back, seemingly unwilling to risk a scramble at the chance of a worsened position from opponents larger and better developed than himself.

There is still a lot of work for Pimblett to do. Positive developments were on site inside of Saturday’s scrap. How he comes back from this and the opposition standing adjacent of him will tell all. Although the scouser’s stock may have suffered a drop at the hands of the Scandinavian Soren, there shouldn’t be a doubt in mind that, when he returns, the followers will flock and again, through the aura that Paddy has created, all eyes will be locked.