Paddy "The Baddy" Pimblett has basically become the human equivalent of an accordion. One week he’s a shredded 155-pound assassin choking out world-class lightweights in the UFC Octagon, and the next, he’s a 200-pound lad from Liverpool tucking into a mountain of salt and pepper chicken. People love it. Or they hate it. But they definitely can’t stop talking about the Paddy Pimblett before and after photos that circulate every time he finishes a camp.
Honestly, it’s a bit of a circus. Most fighters try to stay within striking distance of their weight class year-round. Not Paddy. He’s been very vocal about his love for "scran"—northern English slang for food—and his refusal to live like a monk when he isn't scheduled to fight.
The Reality of the Paddy Pimblett Before and After Transformation
If you follow the UFC, you’ve seen the cycle. In April 2025, Paddy secured the biggest win of his professional career at UFC 314. He stopped former Bellator champion Michael Chandler with a third-round TKO in Miami. He looked incredible—vascular, lean, and explosive.
Fast forward just nine days.
Paddy appeared on Bruce Buffer’s It’s Time podcast and casually mentioned he had already ballooned up to nearly 200 lbs. He’d gained roughly 40 pounds in a week. To put that in perspective, that’s about the weight of a medium-sized Border Collie or a very large microwave. He joked that on the Sunday immediately following the Chandler win, he downed five milkshakes just for a start.
🔗 Read more: Texas vs Oklahoma Football Game: Why the Red River Rivalry is Getting Even Weirder
"In the States, that food just makes me into a machine," Paddy admitted. He’s noticed that the portions and the constant refills of soda in America are his undoing. When he’s back home in the UK, he usually caps out at 195 lbs.
Why the fluctuation matters
While fans find the "Paddy the Fatty" persona hilarious, it drives Dana White and the UFC brass slightly crazy. Why? Because it makes matchmaking a nightmare. If a big-name lightweight gets injured and a short-notice replacement is needed for a main event in six weeks, Paddy can't take that call. He can't safely drop 45 pounds in a month without risking his long-term health or a massive "miss" on the scale.
Breaking Down the Numbers: From Fat to Fit
We often see the Paddy Pimblett before and after photos as two distinct states, but the middle part—the camp—is where the real science happens. For his fight against Chandler, Paddy documented the process on his YouTube channel. It wasn't just a "diet." It was a calculated, miserable grind.
- The Starting Point: Six weeks out, he was sitting at 187.4 lbs.
- The Descent: By March 2025, he was down to 186.3 lbs after adding morning runs to his routine.
- The Final Push: Ten days before the fight, he was 171.4 lbs.
- The Water Cut: 48 hours before weigh-ins, he was still 170 lbs. He had to sweat out 14 pounds of water in two days using hot baths and sweat suits.
He ended up hitting the 156-pound limit (the one-pound allowance for non-title fights) perfectly. But at what cost?
💡 You might also like: How to watch vikings game online free without the usual headache
The science of the "bounce back"
When Paddy rehydrates, his body acts like a dry sponge. Since he cuts so much water and depletes his glycogen (sugar stored in muscles), the moment he eats a high-carb meal, his body holds onto every gram of water it can find. This is why he can "gain" 20 pounds in 48 hours. Most of it isn't fat—it's water weight and inflammation. However, the extra 20 pounds he puts on in the weeks after that? That’s definitely the milkshakes.
Is it Dangerous? What the Experts Say
The MMA community is split on this. On one hand, you have veterans like Matt Brown who have publicly criticized Paddy. Brown recently said that putting on 40 pounds after a fight is a sign of lack of discipline that will eventually shorten Paddy's career.
"It’s not a ton of suffering to not put on 40 pounds," Brown noted on The Fighter vs. The Writer. The argument is that the constant expansion and contraction of the heart, kidneys, and skin takes a toll.
Paddy, now 30, has started to acknowledge this. He recently told Men's Health that as he's gotten older, he’s had to use more technology—like DEXA scans—to monitor his body composition. He recalled a "silly" weight cut earlier in his career where he lost 8kg (about 17 lbs) in just 24 hours. He described feeling like he had a "hangover" during the fight because his brain and body hadn't rehydrated properly.
📖 Related: Liechtenstein National Football Team: Why Their Struggles are Different Than You Think
What Most People Get Wrong About the Weight Gain
A common misconception is that Paddy is "unfit" when he's heavy. Even at 195 lbs, he’s still training. He’s still doing Jiu-Jitsu and hitting the pads. He just has a layer of "chub," as he calls it, over the top of his muscle.
He’s currently ranked #5 in the UFC lightweight division as of late 2025. You don't get to the top five of the toughest division in the world by being a couch potato. His "after" photos (the fit ones) show a fighter who has actually become more muscular and physically imposing with every appearance. He looks bigger and stronger at 155 lbs now than he did during his UFC debut against Luigi Vendramini in 2021.
Actionable Insights for Fitness Enthusiasts
Watching the Paddy Pimblett before and after cycle is fascinating, but don't try this at home. If you're looking to manage your own weight fluctuations, here are some realistic takeaways from Paddy’s journey:
- Avoid "Yo-Yo" Dieting: The extreme swings Paddy goes through are taxing on the metabolism. For the average person, a slow, steady loss of 1-2 lbs a week is far more sustainable than a 40-pound "camp" grind.
- The "Water Weight" Illusion: If you weigh yourself after a big cheat meal and the scale is up 5 lbs, don't panic. Like Paddy, you’re likely just holding water. It’s not "real" fat yet.
- Professional Guidance is Key: Paddy has a team of nutritionists and coaches. If you're attempting a significant body transformation, consult a registered dietitian rather than following a "fighter's diet" you saw on YouTube.
- Age Matters: Now that Paddy is 30, he’s finding it harder to shed the weight. Your metabolism changes, and what worked in your early 20s might leave you feeling "drained" and "gassing out" later on.
Paddy is scheduled to face Justin Gaethje at UFC 324 in early 2026. You can bet your bottom dollar that the "before" photos of him eating pizza in Liverpool will look nothing like the "after" version that steps onto the scale in January.
To truly understand the impact of these fluctuations on an athlete's performance, you should track Paddy's "fight night" weight versus his "weigh-in" weight. Most fighters in his division rehydrate to about 170-175 lbs by the time the cage door closes, which provides the necessary cushion for the physical trauma of an MMA bout. Maintaining a spreadsheet of your own morning weight versus evening weight can help you identify how your own body reacts to sodium and hydration, similar to how professional camps track their athletes.