UFC lightweight contender Jared Gordon earned a ‘Knockout of the Year’ candidate at UFC Vegas 106.
If Jared Gordon still wants to run it back with Paddy Pimblett in the Octagon, he made a strong case for a future rematch with his showing at UFC Vegas 106.
Gordon and fellow UFC vet Thiago Moises helped kick off the action on a stacked card at UFC Vegas 106. The card was topped by a welterweight clash between contenders Gilbert Burns and Michael Morales.
Gordon entered the card in a must-win situation on Saturday, after winless showings in three of his previous four fights. Not only did Gordon break his recent losing skid, he did it in style with one of the most horrific knockouts of 2025.
Jared Gordon makes the case for future Paddy Pimblett rematch at UFC Vegas 106
Gordon and Moises got off to a fast start at UFC Vegas 106, with Gordon getting an early takedown and controlling Moises on the ground. But Moises, a brilliant Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu player, was able to get out of trouble and eventually work his way back to his feet.
Once the fight got back to the feet, it was all-Gordon.
Gordon and Moises returned to the center of the Octagon and landed some heavy shots, before Gordon countered Moises with an overhand right that landed flush to his opponent’s chin. Moises was barely conscious as he dropped to the canvas, before Gordon sealed the deal with vicious ground-and-pound strikes.
The win was Gordon’s second first-round finish over his last three fights, dating back to a first-round knockout of Mark Madsen at UFC 295. Madsen announced his retirement after the loss to Gordon.
It was a disappointing setback for Moises after a unanimous decision win over Trey Ogden in January to kick off 2025 on a great note. The former Islam Makhachev rival has lost three of his last five fights with the defeat to Gordon.
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Paddy Pimblett jumped to light heavyweight just weeks after UFC 314 win
Gordon had a rough go before the win over Moises since a controversial loss to Pimblett at UFC 282. After falling just short on the judges’ scorecards against Pimblett, a knockout loss to Bobby Green was overturned to a no-contest due to an accidental clash of heads.
Since the Gordon fight, Pimblett has surged into the lightweight title mix after recent wins over Michael Chandler and Green. Pimblett defeated Chandler by TKO at UFC 314 to surge into the title conversation.
But despite fighting on a higher platform than ever before, Pimblett isn’t pulling back from some of his questionable habits outside the cage. Just weeks after defeating Chandler, Pimblett gained about 50 pounds with a drastic weight gain that concerned fans.
As Ilia Topuria and Charles Oliveira prepare to fight for Makhachev’s vacated title, Pimblett makes a strong case to fight the UFC 317 winner. Pimblett and Topuria share a hostile past, stemming back to their fighter hotel dust-up in 2022.