“It’s funny, init?”: UFC star Paddy Pimblett talks about his weight gain and nutrition plan amid eye-opening body transformation

Paddy Pimblett reacted to the curiosity regarding his weight gain and diet in between UFC fights. The lightweight, who faces Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 on Saturday, has a reputation for becoming larger after his fights. However, the fast-food-loving fighter, who reduced his weight to 11 pounds at weigh-ins, denied going up 40lb (3st) between fights.He tells TNT news, “It’s funny, init? It is mad. People think I put like 30lb on, well, like 40lb on. Like, my face goes a bit chubby.“I weigh in at 156. And yet people are like, ‘Ohh, he’s put 40lbs on.’ I haven’t because I walk in the cage the next day at like 185. Do you know what I mean?“So I’ve put on like 10lbs on 15lbs on. I actually walk in the cage at… like it’s mad. I get back in the cage like 180 or 185.Paddy Pimblett is currently working with nutritionist Paul Reed, including for his last fight against Michael Chandler, when he dropped 40lb (3st) in seven weeks.He says, “Paul’s got me on it hard. And so I do it perfectly.“I always see comments on YouTube and that, ‘Ohh, he’s going to struggle to make weight soon.’“Like, my last weight cut was my easiest weight cut I’ve ever done. First bath and sauna blanket, I lost five-and-a-half lbs.”Paddy Pimblett, 31, remains unbeaten in his seven UFC fights and 23-3 overall. He challenges Gaethje for the interim lightweight title, with champion Ilia Topuria currently sidelined due to personal issues.Justin Gaethje is renowned for delivering exceptional performances, which accounts for his earnings of roughly £707,000 in Fight of the Night or Performance of the Night bonuses. Paddy Pimblett, the world No. 4, enters this match fresh off a victory over Rafael Fiziev in March of last year.Before the sensational fight, Pimblett said, “I don’t wrestle like a normal person.“I don’t shoot double legs and single legs and wrestle as a normal person does. I do everything differently. I’m not normal, so he’s not going to be able to get a sparring partner that grapples like me or strikes like me because I’m a weirdo.“I’m honest about it, I’m very awkward. You can’t really get a sparring partner in to do me because I’m so awkward, so I’m looking forward to fighting him as I say.”