UFC president Dana White was not happy with how Jared Gordon handled his co-main event appearance at UFC 282. Gordon lost to Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett via unanimous decision, and amid claims that he was robbed of a victory, White took to the post-fight press conference to put the lightweight on blast.
“Gordon had a horrible game plan going into that third round. You think you won the first two rounds with the judges? How do you know that? Why go in there and throw away the third round and not go in and fight your ass off and try to win.
Dana White Blasts Jared Gordon
If you think you know who won what round or whatever, you’re crazy. I’ve been doing this for 23 years. I have no f****** idea what those guys are going to do or what they’re going to say.”
White singled out Gordon’s game plan in the third round, which saw him control Pimblett on the fence but fail to advance his position or do any damage. White also went after the referee, Herb Dean, for failing to intervene when the fight went to the fence.
“I thought that Jared Gordon’s game plan in the third round was horrible. He felt that he had the first two rounds and he went in and pushed him against the fence and I’ve got to go after the ref [Herb Dean], too. A big fight, co-main event, third round, crowd’s going crazy, you’re going to let them stand against the fence the entire fight?
But these are the things that happen. What are you going to do? Horrible game plan by Gordon. The ref let it happen and he threw the fight away.”
White doubled down on his criticism, demanding that his fighters simply “go out and fight”. “He was doing great in that fight – he should have fought the third round.
Don’t go out in the third round and think you won the first two rounds and push a guy against the cage when you were doing great in the fight anyway. You were doing great in the fight. Go out and fight the f****** third round.”
Paddy “The Baddy” remains one of the most popular rising stars in the UFC, but the Jared Gordon fight saw The Baddy unable to impose his will on his opponent for the first time. Whether his star power will endure this setback remains to be seen.
Do you think Jared Gordon threw the fight away? Let us know in the comments.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC67ooRCf9Q
