(photo credit in video: Dolly Clew/Cage Warriors) 

Conor McGregor may have stolen the headlines this past weekend at UFC 205, but before he even hit the Octagon on Saturday night in New York City, U.K. mixed martial artist Paddy Pimblett defended his Cage Warriors featherweight title against American Julian Erosa at Cage Warriors: Unplugged in London, England.

Reflecting on the decision win

Pimblett won the contest via unanimous decision. However, since the fight, the Liverpudlian has received plenty of criticism following his hand being raised.

Speaking for the first time since the fight, Pimblett explained to FloCombat that he had no idea why some people believed he lost to Erosa.

"I'm happy that I won and got through the fight with a tough decision, but I'm just not happy with everyone's response to it," Pimblett said. "I can't even understand why some people can even contemplate that I lost the fight. I just don't understand it if I'm perfectly honest. 

"It's all been on social media," Pimblett said when asked where the criticism he'd received had come from. "Everyone that was there never thought it was in doubt that I would get my hand raised. No one in my corner, no one that was there, none of the journalists. No one that was actually there live said that I'd lost the fight."

Talking the fight up

Pimblett then suggested it was his talk before that fight that might have made some people so quick to criticize.

"I think it was because I was so outspoken before the fight that people want to jump on me," Pimblett said. "Obviously, I need to know that myself, because I said I was going to finish him and the fact that he stayed in the fight goes against me."

Underestimating Erosa

The 145-pound Cage Warriors champion then admitted Erosa had been tougher than he'd expected. 

"I'm not going to lie, I think I learned a valuable lesson from it, and I underestimated him," Pimblett said, "I thought I'd finish him in the first two, didn't think he would be that good, but he had a lot more heart than I thought.

"I thought he was a quitter, and he isn't. He isn't a quitter. He's more used to fighting in front of that sort of crowd. It was more like 'The Ultimate Fighter.'"

A studio in London had a flat atmosphere

Prior to last Saturday's fight with Erosa, Pimblett was coming off a memorable win at the Liverpool Echo Arena where he had the backing of a rampant home crowd spurring him on. This past Saturday was a totally different affair with the fight taking place in front of only a few hundred invited studio guests in London.

Suffice to say, the atmosphere of the crowd and the buzz around the arena was a pretty stark comparison for the 21-year-old Englishman.

"It was a bit different, like, it was cold in the back," Pimblett said. "Then when I got into the arena, I was stood there for like half an hour waiting for Fishy's fight to finish, and I went cold.

"Just cold and flat. I stood, warmed up once, but then it went to f*** and didn't meaning anything. I was just stood there, freezing as f*** watching Fishy."  

Dealing with injuries and the haters

Pimblett then described the difficult buildup to the fight he'd been through and how he wasn't expecting to fight until later in the year.

"No one knows what I been through coming into that fight," Pimblett said. "I didn't know I was going to be fighting so soon. I thought I was going to be fighting in December. I had to do like a crazy diet with like four weeks to go.

"What no one knows, I didn't mention it to anyone, is that I also broke my toe four weeks out from the fight and I couldn't grapple for three weeks. I had to do all sorts of different training. There were all sorts of different factors heading into this fight. I contemplated pulling out three weeks before the fight, but I don't pull out of fights."

Pimblett then further explained his reasons for not pulling out despite his injuries.

"I'll tell you the reason I didn't pull out of the fight, it's because I couldn't be arsed with all the stuff I'm getting now," Pimblett said. "People saying I pulled out the fight, because he was the first decent person I've been in there with. That's coming from people who don't know anything about MMA.

"They are just chatting s***, I didn't pull out for that reason. They are just all fools."

A horrific 24-hour weight cut

The Next Generation MMA product then revealed the challenging weight cut he'd been through just a day prior to the fight.

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"I still went in there and fought even though I had to lose 19 pounds overnight," Pimblett said. "It was by far [the hardest weight cut of my life]. When I weighed in, I looked like I'd just come out of Auschwitz.

"In the fourth round, all I had to do was one thing, but watching it back now I could've won that round, but I just coasted. I tried to stay away and just throw a few single shots because I knew I was three rounds up and I knew how tired I was. I thinking, 'Oh my god, my legs are so heavy.' If you watch it, I'm so flat-footed. It was like I couldn't lift my legs up."

Learning lessons from Saturday

Having fought through adversity and come out still with his hand raised, Pimblett says he's learned some valuable lessons.

"I've got a few lessons learned from that fight, a few," Pimblett admitted. "Never look past anyone. The last time I did that, I paid for it. This time I feel like I paid for it anyway even though I won.

"Some people can get to f***. They jumped on the bandwagon and then jumped off it ever so quickly just because I was in a tough fight. I shot myself in the foot with that fight. I've won, but I've lost the way everyone is carrying on. That was just 50 percent of me. Even on my worst night, I still got the job done."

Staying at featherweight

Despite his difficulties making the 145-pound championship weight limit this past weekend, Pimblett said he'd persist at featherweight and that for his next fight he'd find it a lot easier with a longer camp.

"I'm staying at 145 pounds," Pimblett confirmed. "I'll have a proper fight camp next around--a good 10, 11-week fight camp. Hopefully I'll get an even better opponent and shut some people up."

Rematch with Erosa?

Pimblett also answered whether he'd be interested in an Erosa rematch like many had been calling for.

"I'm not arsed me, I'll fight him again," Pimblett said. "I clearly think I won, so he doesn't deserve a rematch to be honest. He caught me with one shot in the second that rocked me and put me down. The knee didn't even f****** do nothing. Yeah, he caught me with a nice knee, but I didn't even go down off it. What the f*** are they going on about."

A message for the fans and the haters

Despite some of the backlash, Pimblett still has a strong support from a loyal fan base, and he had a message for everyone that had stuck by him through the highs and the lows.

"I just want to say I love you, everyone that's still supporting me, and I know everyone in Liverpool is still supporting me," Pimblett said. "I've still got people all around the world. People in Europe messaging me, Australia, the States, and all over the U.K.

"I've just got a few certain haters, but f*** youse innit. I'm not arsed about youse. It only drives me on stronger to prove you wrong."

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