JRE MMA Show #188 with Paddy Pimblett

What It Covers

Joe Rogan and UFC lightweight contender Paddy Pimblett cover the 155-pound division landscape, Pimblett's submission of Benoit Saint Denis, his rivalry with Ilya Topuria, extreme weight cutting from 155 to 193 pounds, the evolution of MMA globally, Cage Warriors as a UFC pipeline, and potential dream fights including Madison Square Garden and Anfield Stadium.

Key Questions Answered

• •Weight rehydration strategy: Pimblett walks into fights at 155 pounds but rehydrates to approximately 190-193 pounds by fight night, gaining roughly 35-38 pounds overnight through structured eating and fluid restoration. He begins his diet camp 8-10 weeks out, restricting calories and social activities to manage weight. The bulk of his water cut — up to 14-15 pounds — comes from hot baths rather than saunas, which he argues are more effective because water prevents sweat from evaporating off the skin.
• •Hot bath vs. sauna for weight cutting: Pimblett has used hot baths for 12 years as his primary water-cutting tool, shedding 14-15 pounds per session. He references emerging research suggesting baths outperform saunas because sweat cannot evaporate in water, forcing greater fluid loss. He adds Epsom salts for magnesium absorption through the skin and has moved away from sweat-accelerating products like Sweet Sweat, finding them unnecessary when submerged. This method allows him to make 155 while walking around near 190.
• •Submission improvisation under pressure: Pimblett's guillotine finish of Benoit Saint Denis — recorded as the second-fastest submission in UFC history — was executed with a technique he had never practiced in training. He had studied Saint Denis's tendency to shoot after head kicks, predicted the takedown attempt, and when the position presented itself, improvised a leg-over-back variation of a Peruvian necktie on the fly. His coach Paul confirmed afterward they had only briefly drilled a standard guillotine weeks prior, not the specific variation used.
• •Rival analysis and fight IQ: Pimblett attributes his fight preparation to detailed breakdown videos produced by a gym analyst named Carl Mansfield, who maps opponent tendencies across multiple fights. Against Saint Denis, this process identified a repeatable pattern: shoot after head kick or backhand. Against Bobby Green, it revealed superior size and reach, leading to a calf-kick and range-control strategy that prevented Green from landing his trademark close-range boxing combinations. Pimblett credits this systematic scouting as central to his tactical execution inside the cage.
• •Cage Warriors as a legitimate UFC development pipeline: Pimblett argues Cage Warriors is the highest-quality regional promotion in Europe by a measurable margin, citing that roughly 80% of fighters who move from Cage Warriors to the UFC remain signed and active. He contrasts this with other European shows where fighters accumulate records against unqualified opponents. Current teammates on the Cage Warriors roster he identifies as future UFC fighters include Adam Cullen at lightweight, Connor Wilson at flyweight, and Joe Fields, all competing at UFC-equivalent skill levels.
• •MMA's 33-year evolution outpacing millennia of martial arts history: Pimblett and Rogan agree that combat sports have evolved more technically in the 33 years since the UFC's 1993 founding than in the preceding 33,000 years of human martial history. The key driver is cross-disciplinary exposure: fighters can no longer be one-dimensional specialists. Pimblett notes that early champions could win titles with elite wrestling or elite kickboxing alone, but current contenders must be genuinely well-rounded or face immediate exposure, with stance-switching now emerging as the next critical skill gap.
• •Psychological separation between walkout persona and in-cage focus: Pimblett deliberately maintains a high-energy, crowd-engaging walkout — dancing, singing with fans — as a genuine expression of enjoyment rather than a calculated tactic. However, the moment his opponent enters the octagon, he describes a complete mental reset where only two people exist: the opponent and the referee. He traces this ability to compartmentalize back to his amateur career, noting he switched from rap to dance music after his first professional loss and has used the same custom-blended walkout track since approximately his eighth professional fight.