Paddy Pimblett done eating '8,000 calories a day' in between fights, hopes to be ranked by next year

Paddy Pimblett plans on being more disciplined with his diet moving forward.

Currently healing from ankle surgery, Pimblett (20-3 MMA, 4-0 UFC) will be sidelined from action for the next few months. “The Baddy” is notorious for ballooning up when he’s not in fight camp – but not as of late.

That’s because the rising lightweight is making a conscious effort to keep his weight stable as he looks to climb the rankings upon his return.

“I’m hoping to have another three fights in the bag, another three wins by the end of next year and be ranked,” Pimblett said in an interview with SLOTHBOXX. “But as I say, we’ll see what happens. People keep asking me, ‘Are you fighting?’ because I’m not that fat at the minute. They say, ‘You must have a fight coming up, you lad, because you’re normally well fatter than this.’ I’m like, ‘Nah, lad. I’m just not that fat at the minute.’ People keep saying to me, ‘Lad, you’re not that heavy. You must have a fight coming up.’ I haven’t. As I’ve said before, I’ve got an eating disorder when I’m fighting, when I’m cutting weight and dieting.

“After a fight, I’ve got a bad eating disorder. At the minute, I’m not too bad because obviously I had surgery. I went to America and got fat again, then came back and had surgery. And after the surgery, my weight has just gradually come down. Now I’m just walking around at about (185 pounds) and not really watching what I’m eating. I’m just hobbling around at that weight, which is nice. I’ve plateaued around this weight. Hopefully I’ll never go above (200 pounds) again.”

Pimblett has received heavy criticism for his diet, but plans on making changes moving forward.

“It goes in one ear and out the other – they can all f*ck off,” Pimblett said. “I don’t care. People can say what they want about me. I’m the one, as people say, putting my life on the line and getting in the cage. People on the outside, they don’t see what we have to do to make weight. As I’ve said before, I actually am going to try and keep my weight down now. I’ve never actually tried to do it before.

“After every fight, I’ve just ballooned up and started eating 8,000 calories a day. Now I probably won’t do that. It’s mad that people keep asking me, ‘Who are you fighting and who do you want when you come back?’ I don’t know. I’m not going to be back for like six months, and as you know the amount of change that can happen in six months in fighting, it’s ridiculous.”

Pimblett hopes he can compete before the end of the year, but has no intention of rushing his comeback.

“I’ve had a lot of other things going on outside of the cage anyway, so a lot of things to do,” Pimblett said. “I had holidays booked, business stuff to do and my wedding. So injury permitting, I’ll fight before the end of the year. But I’m not going into another fight not 100 percent again. That’s just not happening. I can’t do it anymore.”