Former UFC champion Sean O'Malley has admitted that he was completely surprised by Paddy Pimblett's behind-the-scenes actions during the UFC 324 weigh-in.
Following a six-week break, the UFC made a triumphant return on Saturday night as the ever-popular Pimblett faced veteran fighter Justin Gaethje for the interim lightweight title.
Several other big names featured on the card, including former women's flyweight champion Rose Namajunas and former men's bantamweight champion O'Malley.
Ahead of the card getting underway, all 22 of the fighters from across the UFC that competed on the card were required to weigh-in at a ceremony taking place the day before.
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And speaking after his fight, O'Malley revealed the surprising thing that he noticed Pimblett doing backstage before stepping on the scales.
After spending seven months outside of the octagon following back-to-back losses to former champion Merab Dvalishvili, O'Malley returned with a unanimous decision victory over Song Yadong.
The result came less than an hour before Pimblett missed out on his first UFC title following a brutal war with Gaethje in the main event.
Ahead of the fight, many fans expressed concerns about the Liverpudlian's preparations, and now O'Malley has spoken out about how Pimblett had been acting just moments before making weight.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, the UFC star revealed that Pimblett had been vaping throughout the weigh-ins, saying: "I was on the weight, 136 pound, in the back, dying like everyone else, and Paddy was sitting there ripping his vape, blowing clouds."
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Earlier during Pimblett's fight camp fans spoke out after footage of the 31-year-old taking drags of a vape while training with countryman and current UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall emerged online.
Paddy Pimblett addresses viral vaping footage from training camp
Despite vaping throughout his training camp and clearly right up until the fight itself, Pimblett remained confident that it didn't impact his preparations negatively and instead actually helped him cut weight.
"It really does, it helps you not eat. CBD vape... My weight is perfect right now. It’s the lowest I’ve ever been at this stage... Could be the vape," he told Jon-Bernard Kairouz.
Topics: UFC, Sean O'Malley, Paddy Pimblett, Justin Gaethje, MMA
Ben McCrum